/^  f^ 


\ 


LIFE     AND     LABOURS 


OF 


MR.    BRASSEY 


ARTHUR   HELPS'S   WRITINGS. 


Realmah.     a  novel $2.00 

Casimir  Maremma.     a  novel 2.00 

Companions  of  My  Solitude 1.50 

Essays  Written  IN  the  Intervals  of  Business.  1.50 

Brevia  :  Short  Essays  and  Aphorisms 1.50 

Conversations  on  War  and  General  Culture     .  1.50 

Thoughts  Upon  Government 2.25 

Ivan  De  Biron.     A  novel 2.25 

Brassey's  Life  and  Labors 2.50 

ROBERTS  BROS.,  Publishers, 

Boston. 


Life  and   Labours 


OF 


Mr.  Brassey. 


1 805-1 870. 


BY 


SIR   ARTHUR   HELPS,  K.C.B. 


WITH  A    PREFACE    TO    THE   AMERICAN  EDITION, 
BY   THE    AUTHOR. 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS      BROTHERS. 

1874. 


CAMBRIDGE  : 
PRESS    OF    JOHN    WILSON    AND    SON. 


•    •*«/••      • 


11  •■!••::•'•■::  I    :.-. 


•.• 


DEDICATION, 


TO   THE   QUEEN. 
Madam, 

I  AM  very  grateful  for  the  permission  given  me 
to  dedicate  this  work  to  Your  Majesty. 

I  desired  so  to  dedicate  it,  because  I  do  not  know 
of  any  one  who  has  a  deeper  sympathy  with  the 
labouring  classes  than  Your  Majesty,  or  anyone  who 
takes  a  more  heartfelt  interest  in  everything  that  concerns 
their  habits,  their  education,  and  their  general  welfare. 
Moreover,  this  sympathy  and  this  interest  are  not 
confined  to  those  classes  in  Your  Majesty's  Dominions 
only,  but  are  extended  to  them  wherever  they  are  to 
be  found. 

I  think  also,  that  it  cannot  but  be  very  grati- 
fying to  Your  Majesty  to  have  full  evidence  that,  in  a 
special  kind  of  labour  of  a  very  important  character, 


215609 


vi  DEDICATION. 


namely,  the  construction  of  railways,  Your  own  subjects 
have  hitherto  borne  the  palm,  and  have  introduced 
their  excellent  modes  of  working  into  various  Foreign 
countries. 

Your  Majesty  will  find  that  the  late  Mr.  Brassey 
was  an  employer  of  labour  after  Your  Majesty's  own 
heart:  always  solicitous  for  the  well-being  of  those 
who  served  under  him ;  never  keeping  aloof  from  them, 
but  using  the  powerful  position  of  a  master  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  win  their  affections,  and  to  diminish  the 
distance  which  is  often  far  too  great  between  the 
employer  and  the  employed. 

I  venture,  therefore,  to  think  that  the  volume  will 
be  interesting  to  Your  Majesty  on  its  own  account;  and 
that  You  will  be  disposed  to  view  with  favour  the 
merits,  if  any,  and  to  deal  gently  with  the  faults,  of 
a  work  written  by  one  who,  with  all  respect,  is  ever 
Your  Majesty's 

Faithful  and  devoted 

Subject  and  Servant, 

ARTHUR   HELPS. 
London  :  June  1872. 


PREFACE 


TO 


THE    AMERICAN    EDITION, 


TN  offering  an  edition  of  the  **  Life  of  Thomas 
Brassey  "  to  the  American  public,  the  author 
thinks  that  he  may  be  pardoned  for  addressing  a 
few  words,  by  way  of  Preface,  to  them. 

His  works  have  often  been  received  with  some 
favour  in  America ;  and,  therefore,  he  presumes 
that,  among  his  readers,  there  may  be  some 
friends  to  whom  he  may  venture  to  say*  what  he 
thinks  about  this  '*  Life." 

The  book  will  not  be  especially  interesting  to 
the  American  people,  as  an  instance  of  what  is 
called  remarkable  success  in  life ;  for,  in  their 
greatly  thriving  and  rapidly  advancing  com- 
munity, there  must  be  numerous  instances  of 
persons  who  have  risen,  from  a  comparatively 
humble  position,  to  one  of  great  power,  wealth, 
and  influence. 


Viii  PREFACE. 


But,  to  exemplify  a  fact  of  this  nature  was 
not  the  object,  certainly  not  the  main  object, 
which  the  author  of  the  *'Life"  had  in  view, 
when  he  wrote  a  work  which,  in  many  respects, 
he  was  unfitted  to  write,  as  it  demanded  from 
him  knowledge  of  a  peculiar  kind  that  was  un- 
familiar to  him. 

He  could  not,  however,  refuse  to  write  it, 
because  he  thought  that  he  should  be  able  to 
bring  before  the  world  the  example  given  by  a 
really  great  man,  of  the  satisfaction  that  is  to 
be  derived  from  doing  good  work  with  but  little 
care,  whether  it  received  reward  or  even  recog- 
nition. 

There  were  several  periods  in  the  course  of 
Thomas  Brassey's  life,  at  which,  if  his  career 
had  then  been  closed,  it  would  not  have  afforded 
an  instance  of  success,  according  to  the  standard 
by  which  success  is  too  frequently  measured  in 
this  world.  But  those  who  knew  this  good  man 
intimately,  are  well  aware  that  he  would  have 
been  contented  with  whatever  ending  there  might 
have  been  to  his  arduous  career,  if  assured  only 
upon  this  one  point :  that  he  had  done  the  work 
entrusted  to  him,  carefully,  substantially,  and,  if 
the  word    may  be    used,   righteously.      Indeed, 


PREFACE.  ix 


every  one  who  had  dealings  with  him  would 
unreservedly  testify  that  he  did  his  duty  as  befit- 
ted a  man  chosen  by  others  to  conduct  large 
enterprizes  for  them,  as  an  employer  of  labour 
on  his  own  account,  and  as  one  in  whom  the  pub- 
lic at  large  placed  an  entire  trust. 

This  abiding  sense  of  duty,  the  highest  incen- 
tive to  good  work,  makes  his  life  an  example  as 
valuable  for  America  as  for  England  ;  and,  doubt- 
less, it  will  be  recognized  as  such  by  all  those 
Americans,  and  they  must  be  many,  who  have 
the  same  noble  object  of  ambition,  and  are  will- 
ing to  make  the  same  endeavours  to  attain  it. 

London,  May,  1874. 


PREFACE. 


T  FEEL  it  to  be  right  to  acknowledge 
-■-  in  detail  the  great  assistance  I  have 
received  in  writing  this  work.  It  would  be 
difficult  for  me  to  name  all  the  persons  from 
whom  I  have  derived  this  assistance ;  but 
I  must  mention  some  of  those  who  have 
been  my  principal  coadjutors  ;  namely,  Mr. 
Thomas  Brassey,  Mr.  Ballard,  Mr.  Bidder, 
Dr.  Burnett,  Mr.  Day,' Mr.  Dent,  Mr.  Ed- 
wards, Mr.  Evans,  Mr.  Fowler,  Mr.  Netlam 
Giles,  Mr.  Hancox,  Mr.  Henry  Harrison,  Mr. 
Hawkshaw,  Mr.  Henfrey,  Mr.  Hodges,  Mr. 
Holme,  Mr.  Charles  Jones,  Mr.  Longridge, 
Mr.  Louth,  Mr.  Mackay,  Lieut.-Col.  Charles 
Manby,  Mr.  Milroy,  Mr.   Frederic  Murton, 


xii  PREFACE. 


Mr.  Ogilvie,  Sir  Morton  Pete,  Bart,  Mr.  Ray, 
Mr.  Rhodes,  Mr.  RIcketts,  Rev.  H.  Robin- 
son, Mr.  Rowan,  Mr.  Strapp,  Mr.  Tapp,  Mr. 
Trubshaw,  Mr.  Wagstaff,  Mr.  Wilcox,  and 
Mr.  Woolcott. 

The  object  of  this  work  is  not  merely  to 
narrate  the  life  and  labours  of  Mr.  Brassey  ; 
but  it  aims,  also,  to  show  forth  the  labours 
of  others,  which  that  life  elicited.  The  life 
of  many  an  eminent  man,  especially  if  his 
eminence  has  consisted  in  doing  one  kind  of 
work  very  well,  does  not  admit  of  much 
interest  in  the  narrative  itself,  and  might  be 
very  briefly  told.  It  is  a  melancholy  fact, 
but  fact  it  is,  that  great  conquerors  are  mainly 
the  persons  whose  lives  are  most  interesting, 
such  as  Alexander  the  Great,  Julius  Caesar, 
Cortes,  and  Napoleon.  On  the  contrary,  the 
lives  that  have  been  most  serviceable  to 
mankind,  as  well  as  the  histories  of  the 
most  peaceful  and  therefore  happiest  periods 
of  the  lives  of  nations,  give  little  scope  for 


PREFACE.  xiii 


exciting  narrative.  The  consequences,  how- 
ever, of  the  actions  of  these  benefactors  of 
mankind  are  often  of  the  highest  interest ; 
and,  in  this  particular  case  of  Mr.  Brassey, 
those  consequences  were  visible  in  his  own 
lifetime,  and  may  therefore  naturally  be  in- 
corporated with  any  account  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Brassey  must  ever  be  considered  as 
one  of  the  chief  pioneers  in  the  great  series 
of  industrial  enterprises  by  which  the  modern 
world  has,  we  may  almost  say,  been  trans- 
formed. The  interest  in  his  life  greatly  de- 
pends upon  the  fact,  that  his  career  and  the 
establishment  of  railways  commenced  almost 
simultaneously.  He  certainly  was  the  first 
person  who  went  out  as  a  contractor  into 
foreign  lands,  and  who  first  made  the  British 
modes  of  working  known  in  many  parts  of 
the  globe.  It  was  fortunate  for  our  reputa- 
tion with  the  foreigner,  that  British  skill, 
workmanship,  and  power  of  organization,  as 
manifested     in    railway    construction,     were 


XIV  PREFACE. 


made  known  in  foreign  countries  by  one  who 
was  a  type  of  the  men  of  his  calling,  and 
who  possessed  in  perfection  some  of  the  most 
sterling  qualities  of  the  British  people. 

When  I  speak  thus  of  Mr.  Brassey,  I  do 
not  mean  for  a  moment  to  ignore  the  ser- 
vices of  the  engineers  under  whom  he  acted, 
or  of  the  partners  with  whom  he  acted  in 
these  great  undertakings.  From  Mr.  Mac- 
kenzie, Mr.  Brassey's  first  partner  in  a 
foreign  railway  contract,  from  many  of  his 
succeeding  partners,  from  the  able  and  dis- 
tinguished men  in  their  several  callings  who 
were  connected  with  him  in  railway  enter- 
prises, Mr.  Brassey  received  the  greatest 
assistance.  The  business  of  a  contractor  is 
not  by  any  means  of  an  isolated  character, 
and,  in  the  course  of  Mr.  Brassey's  life,  as 
will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  Table  of  Con- 
tracts in  Chapter  XII.  he  had  at  least  twenty- 
seven  partners.  To  narrate  adequately  the 
work    that    these    gentlemen    did    in    Great 


PREFACE,  XV 

Britain  and  in  Foreign  countries  would  re- 
quire many  biographies  to  be  written.  I 
feel  justified,  however,  in  claiming  Mr. 
Brassey  as  a  representative  man  from  whose 
career  the  great  exertions  and  the  skill  mani- 
fested in  railway  enterprise  by  British  en- 
gineers, contractors,  agents,  and  workmen  of 
all  kinds,  may  be  adequately  appreciated. 

Not  the  least  valuable  and  interesting  part 
of  the  book,  if  I  may  presume  to  speak  of 
any  part  as  valuable  or  interesting,  is  that 
which  gives,  .  incidentally,  an  account  of 
national  characteristics.  Lavater  said  that 
you  could  not  thoroughly  understand  a  man 
until  you  had  divided  an  inheritance  with 
him.  Without  going  so  far,  I  would  venture 
to  say  that  you  cannot  thoroughly  under- 
stand a  man's  nature  until  you  have  done 
business  with  him,  for  it  is  in  the  transaction 
of  business  that  all  the  qualities  of  a  man 
come  forth  and  are  developed.  Mr.  Brassey 
himself,    and    his    agents,   all   of  them    very 


xvi  PREFACE. 


shrewd  and  capable  persons,  had  to  deal  with 
men  of  every  class  in  the  countries  where 
they  were  constructing  railways.  It  was  a 
necessary  part  of  their  business  to  under- 
stand the  characters  of  the  foreigners  they 
dealt  with ;  and  the  remarks  of  these  agents 
show  that  they  did  not  fail  to  accomplish  that 
primary  portion  of  their  labours.  French- 
men, Belgians,  Germans,  Italians,  Russians, 
Spaniards,  and  Danes  came  under  the  close 
observation  of  Mr.  Brassey  and  his  agents  ; 
and  we  are  told  how  the  men  of  these  various 
nationalities  acquitted  themselves  in  their 
respective  employments.  Sometimes  we  find 
that  our  preconceived  notions  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  certain  peoples  are  confirmed : 
sometimes  we  find  that  these  preconceived 
notions  require  modification.  But  whatever 
we  learn  upon  this  subject  from  persons  who 
had  such  remarkable  opportunities  of  obser- 
vation, is  pure  gain,  and  tends  to  remove  our 
notions  from  the  region  of  prejudice  to  that 
of  fact. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  FAGB 

Dedication t 

Treface vii 

List  of  Plates xv 

Introduction i 

I.     Mr-     Brassey's    Character    as    a    Business 

Man 9 

11.     Mr.  Brassey's  Early  Career  ....  20 

III.     Contract  Work 38 

IV.     Commencement   of    Mr.   Brassey's  Foreign 

Work 52 

V.     Comparisons    of    the    Mode    of    Working, 

etc.,  of  Fokeign  Workmen       ...  74 

VI.     Mr.  Brassey's  Skill  in  Calculations  .        .  97 

VII.     Mr.  Brassey's  Work  becomes  more  Extensive  108 

VIII.     Great  Northern  Railway      ,        .        ,        .118 


XVlll 


CONTENTS. 


IX.  Mr.  Brassey's  Financial  Management 

X,  Mr,   Brassey's  Financial  Difficulties 

XI.  Mr.  Brassey's  Wealth    . 

XII.  Mr.  Brassey's  Contracts 

XIII.  Italian  Railways     .... 

XIV.  Grand  Trunk  Railway  of  Canada 
XV.  Victoria  Bridge     .... 

XVI.  Mr.  Brassey's  Minor  Works  . 

XVII.  Mr.  Brassey's  Works  in  Australia 

XVIII.  Argentine  Railway 

XIX.  Moldavian  Railways 

XX.  Indian  Railways      .... 

XXI.  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey's  Recollections 

XXII.  Close  of  Mr.  Brassey's  Life 

XXIII.  Railways  and  Government  Control 


Appendix  A.     Mr.   Tapp's    Notes    on    Mr.    Brassey's 
Tours      


Appendix  B.     Letters 
Appendix  C.     Wages 
Index 


PAGB 

128 

167 
183 
199 

2H 

231 

244 

258 

270 

278 

302 
329 

345 
351 
370 

375 


^^g^^-^r^^ 


LIST   OF    PLATES. 


Portrait    (from  a  drawing  in  the  possession  of 

Mr.  Thomas  Brassey,  M.P.)      .         .         .  Frontispiece 

BuLKELEY  Hall  (by  A.  Ricketts,  from  a  Photo- 
graph)       To  face  page     20 

Map  showing    some   of    the    Continental 

Contracts  (by  A.  Ricketts)      .         .         .  ,,  52 

Map  of  English   Lines  (by  G.   Echvards  and 

A.  Ricketts) „  108 

Map    of    Grand    Trunk    Railway    (by   A, 

Ricketts)    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  „  183 

Victoria  Bridge  (by  A.  Ricketts)     ...  „  199 

Map  of  Argentine  Railway  (by  A.  Ricketts)  „  244 


[  I  ] 


LIFE    AND     LABOURS 


OF  THE   LATE 


MR.    BRASSEY. 


T 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER. 

HE  first  endeavour  for  a  writer  should    intro. 
be  to  put  himself  in  good  relation  with  • — > — -* 

A  writer's 


his  readers.  If  he  fail  in  doing  this,  he  ^i^^ 
fails  in  a  most  important  point.  They  may  readers, 
agree  with  him,  or  differ  from  him,  as  re- 
gards his  conclusions ;  but  they  will  almost 
always  have  gained  some  profit  from  his 
work,  if  he  makes  them  sympathize  with  him, 
and  understand  his  meaning  and  purpose. 
Both  reader  and  writer  have  but  one  and 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


INTRO,     the   same    object :    namely,    to    8:et   at   the 

CHAP.  ^  1 

' — ' — '  truth  in  regard  to  a  person,  or  matter,  about 

whom,  or  which,  it  is  worth  while  to  know 

the  truth. 

The  In  writing  the  life  of  Mr.  Brassey,  I  have 

labour        undertaken  a  task  for  which  I  have  no  special 

lightened  ,._         .  •  i     t     i  •         i 

by  aid        qualifications  ;  but  the  aid   I   have  received 

received  ^  ^  .         . 

from  Mr.     from  his  family  and  from   his  many  friends 

B-asse/s 

friends.  who  do  possess  these  special  qualifications, 
has  greatly  lightened  my  labour,  and  will,  I 
hope,  make  it  effectual  in  bringing  before  the 
world  the  character  and  conduct  of  a  very 
notable  person. 

Before  commencing  this  biography  in  the 

ordinary  way,  by  giving  the  birth,  parentage, 

and  education  of  Mr.  Brassey,  I   shall  begin 

by  giving  an  account  of  my  first  acquaintance 

with  him — an  acquaintance  which  afterwards 

ripened  into  a  sincere  friendship,  causing  me 

to  accept  with  pleasure  the  task  of  writing 

his   life,  when  requested  by  his  sons  to   do 

Danger  of  SO.     They  would,  no  doubt,  have  done  the 

being         work  better  and  more  amply  ;  but  then,  what 

a  son.        a  son  says  of  his  father  is  always  a   little 

*  suspect.^     Notwithstanding    the   familiarity 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


of  converse  which  has  gfrown  up  of  late  years    intro. 

^  ^  J  CHAP. 

between  sons  and  fathers,  sons  are  apt  to  be  ^^     '      ' 
not  the  less  proud,  and  perhaps  even  more 
fond,  of  their  fathers  than  ever  ;  and  on  that 
account   not    the    less   unfit   to   write   their 
fathers'  lives. 

I  am  confirmed  in  this  view,  by  the  life  of  Exempii- 

1        ,  .  1  •    1       fied  t)y  the 

an  emment  man,  written  by  his  sons,  which,  Life  of 
though  very  well  and  certainly  very  duti-  kintosh. 
fully  written,  failed  to  give  the  reader  an 
adequate  notion  of  those  peculiarities  in  the 
hero  of  the  tale,  which  are  so  valuable  in 
making  us  really  acquainted  with  him.  This 
knowledge  the  reader  did  not,  I  think,  attain 
until  he  came  to  a  letter  at  the  end  of  the 
book,  written  by  Sydney  Smith.  It  was  a 
letter  which  thoroughly  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing the  man  before  you  by  means  of  such 
passages  as  the  following :  "  Curran,  the 
Master  of  the  Rolls,  said  to  Mr.  Grattan, 
*  You  would  be  the  greatest  man  of  your 
age,  Grattan,  if  you  would  buy  a  few  yards 
of  red  tape,  and  tie  up  your  bills  and 
papers.'  This  was  the  fault,  or  the  mis- 
fortune, of  your  excellent   father ;    he  never 

B2 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER, 


INTRO,    knew  the  use  of  red  tape,  and  was    utterly 

CHAP.  -^  ^    .  .  ^ 

^ — ' — '  tmfit  for  the  common  business  of  life.     That 

a  guinea  represented  a  quantity  of  shillings, 
and  that  it  would  barter  for  a  quantity  of 
cloth,  he  was  well  aware ;  but  the  accurate 
number  of  the  baser  coin,  or  the  just  mea- 
surement of  the  manufactured  article  to  which 
he  was  entitled  for  his  gold,  he  could  never 
learn,  and  it  was  impossible  to  teach  him."  ^ 
Now  these  are  the  kind  of  things  which 
sons  are  too  fond  and  too  respectful  to 
say  of  their  fathers ;  and  therefore  I  do 
not  think  that  sons  can  ever  make  good 
biographers. 
The  I  now  proceed  to  give  an  account  of  my 

fntroduc-     first  introductiou  to  Mr.  Brassey.     I  had  to 

tion  to  Mr.  .  ...  -  .  rr    •    i 

receive  a  visit  Irom  nim  on  some  omcial 
business  of  much  importance  and  considerable 
difficulty.  When  one  has  heard  a  great  deal 
of  a  man,  but  has  not  seen  him,  one  cannot 
help  forming  some  notion  as  to  what  manner 
of  man  he  is. 

When  Mr.  Brassey's  name  was  announced, 

^  Life  of  Mackintosh^  vol.  ii.  p.  500. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


I   could   not   help  supposing  that   I   should    intro- 

see    a    hard,    stern,    forcible,    soldierly  sort  ' "~~" 

of  person,  accustomed  to  sway  armies  of 
working  men  in  an  imperious  fashion.  Now  ^rview. 
this  was  very  foolish  of  me ;  for  I  had, 
before,  seen  many  great  *  captains  of  industry/ 
and  had  almost  uniformly  found  them  to 
be  men  of  suave  manners  and  courteous 
bearing. 

Notwithstanding  this  experience,  I  was  pre- 
judiced and  misled  by  the  word  '  contractor,' 
and  expected  to  find  in  Mr.  Brassey  a  very 
different  person  from  the  one  I  did  see. 
There  entered  an  elderly  gentleman  of  very 
dignified  appearance,  and  of  singularly  grace- 
ful manners,  suggesting  at  once  the  idea  of 
what  is  called  a  'gentleman  of  the  old 
school.' 

He  stated  his  case.  No  :  I  express  my  Mr.  Bras- 
self  wrongly ;  he  did  not  state  his  case ;  he  his  case. 
U7iderstated  it ;  and  there  are  few  things 
more  attractive  in  a  man  than  that  he  should 
be  inclined  to  understate  rather  than  to 
overstate  his  own  case.  He  was  also 
very  brief;  not  going  over  any  part  of  the 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


INTRO. 
CHAP. 


Com- 
parison 
between 
Lord 
Herbert 
of  Lea 
and  Mr. 
Brassey. 


Mr. 

Brassey  a 
skilful 
organizer. 


ground  a  second  time,  as  is  the  habit  of 
ninety-nine  persons  out  of  every  hundred. 
After  he  had  gone  away,  I  thought  to  myself 
(for  I  knew  the  matter  pretty  well,  in  respect 
of  which  he  had  a  grievance)  that,  had  it 
been  my  case,  I  should  not  have  been  able 
to  restrain  myself  so  completely  and  to  speak 
with  so  little  attention  to  self-interest  as  he 
had  done. 

On  thinking  whom  he  resembled  of  the 
persons  I  had  ever  seen,  I  found  that  he 
reminded  me  most  of  the  late  Lord  Herbert 
of  Lea,  a  man  who,  even  in  a  short  and 
transient  interview,  never  failed  to  impress 
you  with  a  sense  of  his  goodness  and  bene- 
volence, and  of  his  being  one  of  the  most 
perfect  gentlemen  you  had  ever  seen. 

This  was  my  first  interview  with  Mr. 
Brassey.  The  impression  it  produced  upon 
me  was  that  of  respect  and  regard  for  him, 
which  continued  to  increase  as  we  became 
better  acquainted. 

I  have  also  to  add,  that  the  life  of  Mr. 
Brassey  has  especial  interest  for  the  writer  of 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


it,  as  affording  an  example  of  skilful  organi-  intro. 
zation,  as  well  as  of  the  fulfilment  of  other  "~ — ■ — ' 
functions,  and  the  performance  of  other  duties, 
which,  though  they  especially  concern  Im- 
perial Government,  may  be  thoroughly  ex- 
emplified in  the  conduct  of  private  enterprise, 
when  it  assumes  considerable  magnitude  and 
diversity. 

This   work    has    been    written  in    a  very  Evidence, 

how  ob- 

peculiar  manner.     Most  of  the  persons  who  Gained  for 
^  ^  this  work- 

knew  Mr.  Brassey  well,  who  had  acted  with 

him,  or  served  under  him,  have  kindly  con- 
sented to  be  examined  as  witnesses,  and  to 
have  their  evidence  taken  down  by  a  short- 
hand writer.  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey  has  been 
the  examiner.  From  his  general  knowledge  of 
his  father's  affairs,  no  one  could  have  fulfilled 
this  office  so  well  ;  and  I  gratefully  acknow- 
ledge the  immense  assistance  that  I  have 
derived  from  the  mode  in  which  he  has 
conducted  these  examinations. 

It    may   easily   be    conjectured   that    the 
amount  of  material  thus  collected  has  been 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER, 


INTRO,    very  great  indeed,  and  has  been  of  the  most 

^ — . — ^   interesting  character.     I  have  often  regretted 

that  want  of  space  prevents  me  from  giving 

to  my  readers  as  much  as  I  should  otherwise 

like  to  give  of  this  valuable  information. 


[    9     ] 


CHAPTER  I. 


A  BRIEF  OUTLINE  OF  MR.  BRASSEVS  CHARACTER 
AS  A   MAN  OF  BUSINESS. 


I 


N  a  biography,  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to    chap. 
determine  where  one  should  introduce  ' — ' — 
a  description  of  the  character  of  the  person  oluT 
written  about.     I   have  come  to  the  .conclu-  character. 
sion  that  the  best  plan  is  to  give  very  early 
in  the  book  a   brief    outline  ;    then,   as   the 
occasions  arise,  to  point  out,  in  the  narrative, 
illustrations  of  the  character ;  and,   finally,  to 
take   an   opportunity  of    restating    and   en- 
larging the  description. 


The  most  striking  point  in  Mr.  Brassey's  Mr. 

Brassey's 

character,  and  that  which  I  shall  mention  first,  trust- 
fulness 
was  his  trustfulness.     This  virtue  was  carried  i^  his 

agents. 

to  a  great  extent  in  him, — to  an  extent  that 


lO  MR.   BRASSEY'S   CHARACTER 

CHAP,  may  appear  almost  extreme.  He  chose  his 
'  '  '  agents  with  great  care,  and  with  consummate 
judgment.  After  he  had  chosen  them,  he 
placed  implicit  trust  in  them.  Then,  though 
perfectly  capable  of  exercising  the  most 
minute  supervision  and  criticism  of  details, 
he  never  judged  by  details,  but  looked  to 
results ;  not  vexing  or  wearying  those  who 
served  under  him  by  minute  and  tiresome 
criticism. 
Liberality.  He  was  exceedingly  liberal  in  the  conduct 
of  his  business,  as  will  be  seen  from  many 
instances  in  the  following  pages  ;  and  pro- 
bably there  never  was  a  man  who  made  so 
much  money,  caring  so  little  for  the  money 
itself 
Equa-  He  was  a  man  of  a  singularly  calm  and 

nimity. 

equable  temperament.  It  was  very  rarely, 
indeed,  that  either  success  or  failure — and 
even  great  failure  was  not  a  thing  unknown 
to  him — discomposed  his  complete  serenity 
of  mind.  I  do  not  mention  this  by  way  of 
The  praise.    As  regards  this  matter,  there  are  two 

anxious  . 

andun-      orders    of  men.      There   is  the  man  whose 

anxious 

man.         anxieties  never  leave  hirii,  who  cannot  throw 


AS  A  MAN  OF  BUSINESS.  II 


off   his   robe  of   office  and    say  'Lie  there,    chap. 

Lord  Treasurer,  or  Lord  Chancellor.'     And  ' • — ' 

there  is  the  man  who,  having  done  his  best, 
is  satisfied  with  that  best,  and  can  dismiss 
anxiety,  as  to  the  result.  This  is  a  great 
felicity  of  temperament.  Those  men  who 
do  possess  it  are  often  liable  to  be  much 
misconstrued.  The  world  is  apt  to  think 
that  the  man  who  can  throw  off  the  burden 
of  care,  is,  on  that  account,  less  care- 
taking  than  the  man  who  is  harrowed  by 
perpetual  anxiety,  and  who  cannot  conceal 
the  constant  pressure  of  that  anxiety.  Mr. 
Brassey  did  not  take  less  care  than  these 
anxious  men  are  wont  to  do  ;  but,  having 
given  his  best  efforts  to  ensure  success,  was 
content  to  await  the  result,  and  to  abide  by  it 
with  perfect  equanimity. 

It  is  not  requisite  to  do  more  here  than  to 
allude  to  the  powers  of  perception,  of  calcula- 
tion, and  of  organization,  which  Mr.  Brassey  ]vir. 
possessed.      These    powers    will    inevitably  powerJof 
reveal    themselves    in    the    course    of    the  uon7?ai- 
narrative,  and  may,  indeed,  almost  be  taken  and  or- ' 

111*  1  ganiza- 

for  granted  as  belongmg  to  one  who  success-  Uon. 


12  MR,   BRASSEY'S  CHARACTER 


CHAP,    fully  carried  out  great  undertakings  in  which 
"^^    "    ^  these  powers  were  absolutely  indispensable, 
^ir.  There  was  not  anythinp^  more  noticeable  in 

Brassey  s  ^ 

delicacy  in  ]y[j-^    Brassey's  conduct  of  business  than  his 

blaming.  -' 

mode  of  blaming  where  blame  was  requisite. 
It  was  of  the  very  lightest  and  gentlest  kind  ; 
but  not  on  that  account  less  forcible  or  less 
instructive.  To  speak  metaphorically,  his  little 
finger  laid  gently  upon  an  error  was  more 
severely  felt  than  the  heavy  hand  so  often 
put  down  by  a  coarse  man  when  he  blames 
his  agents  or  his  inferiors.  Reluctant  blame 
is  the  blame  that  goes  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  men  ;  and  the  greatest  merit  of 
it  is,  that  while  it  condemns,  it  does  not  dis- 
courage. 
Mr.  So  thoroughly  beloved,  and  so  thoroughly 

Brassey's 

visits  of      appreciated    was    Mr.    Brassey   by   all    the 

inspection 

looked        people    who   served    under   him,    that    his 

forward  to    ^        ^ 

^y^^^   ,     comino:   amon2:st  them  was   looked   forward 

employed.  ^  ^ 

to  as  a  most  joyful  and  festive  event. 
When,  for  instance,  he  had  any  great 
work  on  hand  in  a  foreign  country,  the 
thousands  of  people  employed  by  him, 
from   the   highest   to   the   lowest,  longed  to 


AS  A   MAN  OF  BUSINESS.  1 3 

see  him  amongst  them.     This  could  not  have    chap. 
been  the  case  had  he  not  been  utterly  devoid  ""     '     ' 
of  captiousness,  and  one  of  those  generous 
employers  of  labour  who  recognize  to   the 
full  all  that  is  well  done  by  those  who  work 
under  them. 

Indeed,  in  this  respect,  he  reversed  the 
relative  positions  of  employer  and  employed. 
When  any  disaster  occurred  on  the  works,  it 
was  he  who  comforted  and  excused  his  agents, 
instead  of  receiving  comfort  or  excuses  from 
them. 

It  was  a  necessity  of  Mr.  Brassey's  career  Mr. 
that  he  should  live  much  with  his  dependents,  courtesy. 
Now,  it  may  often  be  observed  that  the  man 
who  has  undoubted  authority  over  his  fellow- 
men  In  one  respect,  is  apt  to  endeavour  to 
extend  that  authority  to  matters  in  which  he 
has  not  any  right  whatever  to  Interfere  with 
those  inferiors,  or,  otherwise  than  indirectly, 
to  attempt  to  influence  their  opinions.  The 
uniform  testimony  of  those  who,  in  any  capa- 
city, worked  under  Mr.  Brassey,  is,  that  he 
never  sought  to  interfere  with  them,  or  their 
opinions,  *  out  of  school '  as  we  may  say.     He 


14  MR.  BRASSEY'S  CHARACTER 

was  one  of  the  least  arrogant  of  men  In  his- 
general  converse  with  mankind,  giving  a 
respectful  consideration  to  whatever  anyone 
had  to  say  to  him.  Even  If  people  talked 
folly  to  him,  his  comment  upon  It  was  of  the 
mildest  kind.  Once,  indeed,  when  a  man 
was  talking  largely,  with  very  little  substance 
or  understanding  In  his  talk,  Mr.  Brassey  was 
heard  to  remark,  *  I  think  the  peas  are  over- 
growing the  sticks.'  But  this  was  a  rare 
instance  of  censure — so  rare  that  It  greatly 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  hearers. 
Presence         Mr.    Brassey  was  gifted  with    much   pre- 

of  mind. 

sence  of  mind.  The  first  Napoleon  used  to 
say  of  himself,  that  few  men  were  his  equals 
in  what  he  was  wont  to  call  '  two  o'clock 
of  the  morning '  courage,  which  is  in  fact 
presence  of  mind  on  the  announcement  of  un- 
expected danger  and  difficulty.  Mr.  Brassey 
was  fortunate  enough  to  possess  this  *  two 
o'clock  of  the  morning'  courage  In  a  high 
degree.  If  called  up  suddenly  In  the  middle 
of  the  night  upon  some  urgent  peril  or  diffi- 
culty, he  met  the  alarm  with  perfect  coolness  ; 
sat  down  to  consider  and  calculate  what  was 


AS  A   MAN  OF  BUSINESS.  1 5 

the  best  mode  of  obviating  the  danger  (danger  .  chap. 
seemed  to  stimulate  his  faculties,  and  not  to  "  '  ' 
overpower  them)  ;  and,  before  the  break  of 
day,  when  he  had  to  proceed  to  the  scene 
of  action,  was  ready  with  his  plan.  It  may 
be  easily  imagined  what  confidence  this  pre- 
sence of  mind  on  the  part  of  their  employer, 
infused  into  his  principal  agents,  and  all 
those  who  were  employed  under  him. 

Mr.   Brassey  had  a  perfect  hatred  of  con-  Hatred  of 

•^  ^  conten- 

tention.  This  quality  of  mind  was,  second  ^^°"- 
only  to  his  trustfulness,  the  main  element  of 
his  success.  It  was  soon  discovered  by  any- 
one who  had  dealings  with  him  that,  should 
any  matter  of  controversy  arise,  he  w^ould  not 
only  refuse  to  take  any  questionable  advan- 
tage over  the  other  side,  but  would  rather 
even  submit  to  be  taken  advantage  of^ 
Now,  there  is  not  a  more  fruitful  virtue  in 
the  world  than  this  kind  of  generosity.  It 
is  nearly  sure  to  elicit  a  kindred  response. 
In  most  instances  where  overreaching  is  begun 
or  continued,  it  derives  its  strength  from 
contentiousness. 

^  See  Letter  No.  i,  in  Appendix. 


l6  MR.  BRASSEY'S  CHARACTER 

In  the  execution  of  any  great  undertaking 
Mr.    Brassey's   anxiety   was   that   the  work 

Brassey's     should  be  done  quickly,  and  be  done  well. 

have  work  The  minor  questions  as  to  who  should  bear 
the  expense  of  minor  matters,  unprovided  for 
by   specific   contract,    he   left   to   be   settled 
afterwards ;  whereas,  many  men,  perhaps    I 
may   say   most   men,    would   have   insisted, 
beforehand,  upon  the  question  being  settled 
as   to   who   should   bear    the   outlay.       Mr. 
Brassey's  name  is  a  name  not  known  in  the 
Law   Courts.     He   said    to    Mr.    Giles   one 
day :    '  I    never   had   but   one    regular    law- 
suit.      It   was  in   Spain   about   the    Mataro 
Line,  and   that  was  against  my  will ;  but  I 
was   obliged   to   submit   to   it,    as    I    had  a 
partner.      We  got  nothing  by  it ;  and  I  will 
never  have  another  if  I   can  help  it,  for   I 
believe  in  nineteen  cases  out  of  twenty  you 
either  gain  nothing  at  all,  or  what  you  do 
gain  does  not  compensate  you  for  the  worry 
and    anxiety    the    law-suit    occasions    you.' 
His  action  jf     a    disDute    arose   between    his     assents 

in  disputes.  ^  .  ■       ^ 

and   the    engineers    of    the    company,    for 
whom    he    was    working,    as    to    the    best 


AS  A   MAN  OF  BUSINESS.  1 7 

mode  of  proceeding  with   the  work,  he   had    chap- 
an  admirable  way  of  setding  die  dispute.   He  ^ — r — - 
would  appear,  perhaps  unexpectedly,  amongst 
the    contending  parties  ;  would  not  back  up 
his  own  agents,  or  enter  into  vexatious  con- 
tention with  the  engineers  of  the  company ;  Gangers 
but  would,  in  the  presence  of  them  all,  take  council. 
the    '  gangers '    Into    council,    and    ask    them 
what  was  their  opinion  on  the  matter. 

It  was  generally  found  that  the  gangers 
had  a  very  clear  opinion,  and  a  very  judicious 
one,  as  to  how  the  work  should  proceed  : 
and,  at  any  rate,  the  contending  parties  felt 
that  the  opinion  of  those  men,  with  whom 
the  manual  execution  of  the  work  rested, 
was  an  opinion  which  It  was  very  desirable 
to  defer  to  and  to  conciliate.  This  mxode  of 
reference  and  undefined  arbitration  was  emi- 
nently characteristic  of  this  great  employer 
of  labour.  It  did  not  vex  or  humiliate  any- 
body; and  It  brought  the  matter  to  a  definite 
conclusion. 

Our   Immediate  forefathers.    In  estimating 
the    character    of    any    man,    were    always 
anxious  to  point   out    what   was    his    ruling 
c 


l8  MR.   BRASSEY'S  CHARACTER 

CHAP,  passion.  This  may  be  seen  in  the  poets  of 
^ — 't —  a  former  age.  They  could  not  conceive  the 
idea  of  a  man  unswayed  by  a  ruHng  passion, 
which  indeed  they  would  invent  for  him,  if 
he  were  not  blessed,  or  cursed,  with  such  a 
motive  for  endeavour.  I  must  confess  that 
I  think  the  idea  is  not  altogether  a  bad  one, 
and  that  most  men  have  a  ruling  passion — • 
strong  in  life,  as  in  death.  Now,  in  writing 
this  memoir,  I  have  endeavoured  to  find  out 
Bra  sev  what  was  Mr.  Brassey's  ruling  passion  ;  what 
passion  ^^^  ^^  work  that  he,  Mr.  Brassey,  supposed 
that  he  was  sent  into  the  world  to  further 
and  to  establish.  He  had  none  of  the  ordi- 
nary ambitions.  Rank,  title,  social  position 
had  no  attraction  for  him.  He  had  no  other 
objects  than  those  connected  with  his  busi- 
ness. His  great  ambition — his  ruling  pas- 
sion, if  I  may  so  express  it — was  to  win  a 
high  reputation  for  skill,  integrity,  and  success 
in  the  difficult  vocation  of  a  contractor  for 
public  works  ;  to  give  large  employment  to  his 
fellow-countrymen ;  and  by  means  of  British 
labour  and  British  skill  to  knit  together 
foreign  countries,  and  to  promote  civilization, 


AS  A   MAN  OF  BUSINESS.  I9 


according  to  his  view  of  It,  throughout  the     chap. 
world.  — ■ — - 


Mr.  Brassey  was,  In  brief,  a  singularly- 
trustful,  generous,  large-hearted,  dexterous, 
ruling  kind  of  personage ;  blessed  with  a 
felicitous  temperament  for  bearing  the  re- 
sponsibility of  great  affairs. 

By  giving  at  once  this  view  which  I  have 
formed  of  Mr.  Brassey 's  character,  I  hope  I 
may  have  sufficiently  interested  the  reader  to 
induce  him  to  accompany  me  on  my  journey 
through  the  details,  sometimes  of  a  dry  and 
technical  character,  which  serve  to  illustrate 
the  nature  of  a  man  who  undoubtedly  proved 
himself  to  be  one  of  the  foremost  leaders 
of  industry  in  the  present  age. 


C2 


[     20     ] 


CHAPTER    II. 


CHAP. 
II. 


Birth  and 
parentage 
of  Mr. 
Brassey. 


MR.   BRASSES S  EARLY  CAREER. 
(A.D.  1 805-1 837.) 

MR.  BRASSEY  was  born  November  7, 
1805,  at  Buerton,  in  the  parish  of 
Aldford,  in  Cheshire.  He  was  the  son  of 
John  and  EHzabeth  Brassey  of  that  parish. 

His  family  was  an  ancient  one,  his  ances- 
tors having  come  over  with  WilHam  the 
His  famUy  Conqueror.  For  nearly  six  centuries  they 
dents.  resided  at  Bulkeley,  near  Malpas,  in  Ches- 
hire, where  they  possessed  a  small  landed 
property  of  three  or  four  hundred  acres, 
which  is  still  in  the  family.  Mr.  Brassey 
was  much  attached  to  this  ancestral  property, 
and  when  the  old  house  became  almost  unin- 
habitable from  the  effects  of  time,  he  rebuilt 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  21 

Upon  its  site  a  handsome  house,  with  model     chap. 
farm  buildings  on  a  large  scale.  " — ■ — ' 

Like  most  other  ancient  families,  the 
Brasseys  were  concerned,  in  one  way  or 
another,  in  the  civil  war  of  the  Roses ;  but, 
whatever  losses  they  may  have  sustained  at 
that  period,  so  disastrous  to  many  ancient 
English  families,  they  were  fortunate  enough 
to  retain  a  large  part  of  their  property. 

The   time  when  they  moved  to   Buerton  The 

Brassevsat 

is  uncertain ;  but  they  must  have  resided  Buerton. 
there  for  more  than  two  centuries,  as  is 
proved  by  certain  documents  which  are  dated 
in  the  year  1663.  Mr.  Brasseys  father,  in 
addition  to  property  which  he  possessed  in 
Cheshire,  had  land  of  his  own  at  Buerton, 
and  rented  from  the  Marquis  of  Westminster 
a  large  farm  adjacent  to  it.  The  rent  of 
this  farm  was  850/.  a  year. 

I  am  particular  in  noting  these  facts  about 
the  history  of  Mr.  Brassey's  family,  because 
it  resembles  that  of  many  of  those  families 
from  which  our  most  distinguished  men  have 
sprung — an  origin  which  I  conceive  is  very 
favourable  for  a  man  who  is  destined  to  do 


22  MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 

CHAP,  great  things  in  this  world.  There  is  a  certain 
- — ^ —  amount  of  culture  and  of  knowledge  in  such 
a  family  ;  while  at  the  same  time  it  has  run 
no  risk  of  being  enervated  by  luxury,  or  of 
having,  if  I  may  venture  to  use  the  expres- 
sion, thought  itself  out.  We  cannot  be  blind 
to  the  fact  that  there  are  amongst  us  but  few 
descendants  of  our  most  eminent  men.  It 
certainly  seems  as  though  a  family,  after  long 
ages,,  like  some  slowly  developing  plant,  pro- 
duces its  best  flower,  and  then  dies  off.  And 
when  we  see  distinguished  families  still  pro- 
ducing remarkable  men,  I  believe  that  if  we 
could  investigate  the  records  of  those  families, 
we  should  find  that  there  had  been  a  frequent 
accession  of  new  blood, — of  minds  unwearied 
by  mental  labour,  of  bodies  not  exhausted 
or  rendered  unfruitful  by  luxury. 
Mr.  Mr.  Brassey,  at  twelve  years  of  age,  went 

goes  to       to   a   school  at    Chester,  of  which  the   late 

school, 

Mr.  Harlings  was  master.  At  sixteen  years 
of  age  he  left  school,  and  was  articled  to 
the  late  Mr.  Lawton,  a  Land-surveyor  and 
and  is  As:erit.  Mr.  Lawton  was  at  that  time,  and 
for  many  years  had  been,  the  agent  of  the 


tided. 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  23 


late  Mr.  Francis  Ricliard  Price,  of  Bryn-y-pys,     chap. 


Overton,  Flintshire.  '      '      ' 

Those  of  my  readers  who   are  no  longer 

young,  may  remember  that  in   the    days    of 

their  youth  there  was  a  road  made,  which  it 

was  delightful  to  travel  on,  and  of  which  all 

England  was  very  proud.      It  was  called  the 

Holyhead  Road.     It  commenced  at  Shrews-  The  Holy- 
head Road, 
bury  and  terminated  at  Holyhead;  and  this 

was  the  first  great  work  upon  which  the 
young  Brassey  was  employed.  The  cele- 
brated Telford  was  the  engineer  of  this  road, 
and  under  him,  as  a  surveyor,  a  Mr.  Penson,  of 
Oswestry,  was  employed  to  make  the  surveys 
for  the  road.  Mr.  Brassey  was  permitted  by 
his  master  to  assist  Mr.  Penson  in  making 
these  surveys. 

Throughout  his  life  we  uniformly  find  that  Mj-. 

Brassey 

Mr.  Brassey  was  a  favourite  with  those  with  a  general 

favourite. 

whom,  or  under  whom,  he  acted.  His 
master,  Mr.  Lawton,  appreciating  his  value, 
became  much  attached  to  him,  and  ultimately 
proposed  to  take  him  into  the  business  as 
a  partner. 

There  was  an    additional   reason,   at  that 


24  MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 

CHAP,    time,    for    making    such    a    proposal.       Mr. 
^      •      '   Lawton  had  the  shrewdness  to  perceive  that 
Birkenhead  would  become  a  very  great  place, 
and  that  it  would  give  much  occupation  for 
men  of  his  calling.     Accordingly,  he  resolved 
to  establish  a  business  there,  and  to  place  at 
the  head  of  it  his  young  friend  Brassey. 
MrBrassey       Mr.  Brassey  accepted  the  proposal  of  part- 
Mr.  Law-    nership  ;  and,  being    then   twenty-one  years 
ner.  of  age,  went  to  reside  at  Birkenhead  as  Mr. 

Lawton's  partner,  the  whole  of  the  Birken- 
head estate  being  the  property  of  Mr.  Price. 
Biricen-  Birkenhead  must  at  that  time  have  been 

1818.  but  a  very  small  place,  for  we  have  evidence 
that  in  18 18  it  consisted  of  only  four  houses. 
At  this  early  period  Mr.  Brassey  showed 
that  ingenuity  and  fertility  of  resource  which 
was  afterwards  so  largely  developed.  At 
this  time  he  possessed  brick-yards  and  lime- 
kilns. In  loading  and  unloading  the  barges, 
he  found  much  injury  occurred  to  the  bricks  : 
he  therefore  devised  a  kind  of  wooden  crate, 
which  not  only  kept  the  bricks  from  injury, 
but  also  reduced  greatly  the  cost  of  delivery 
and  re-stacking. 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  25 


On  the  death   of  Mr.  Lawton,  young  Mr.     chap. 

Brassey  became  the  sole  agent  and  represen-  ' ^ — ' 

tatlve  of  Mr.  Price  ;  and,  no  doubt,  acquired  Mr. 

Brassey 

great  experience    in    directing   for   him    the  Mr.  Price's 
rise  and  progress  of  that  now  most  populous 
and  thriving  place. 

He  had  resided   there  eight  years,  when,  and  is 

introduced 

accidentally,  he  came  m  contact  with  a  great  to  Mr.  Ste- 
phenson. 
man — a  circumstance  which  gave  the  colour 

and  direction  to  his  future  life.      This  great 

man  was  George  Stephenson. 

Mr.   Brassey  either  possessed  himself,    or  stourton 

11  111  r  Quarries, 

as  a  land-agent  had  the  management  of,  a 
certain  stone  quarry  at  Stourton.  Stone  was 
wanted  for  the  Sankey  Viaduct  on  the  Man- 
chester and  Liverpool  Railway — the  first 
railway,  for  passenger  traffic,  that  was  ever 
constructed. 

Mr.  Stephenson  went  with  Mr.  Brassey  to  The 

Sankey 

examine  the  stone  at  this  quarry,  intending.  Viaduct. 
if  satisfied  with  it,  to  make  a  contract  for  its 
delivery  at  the  Sankey  Viaduct.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  Mr.  Stephenson  must  have  been 
much  pleased  with  his  young  companion  in 
this    excursion,    for    he    immediately   sought 


26  MR.  BBASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 


CHAP,  to  engage  him  in  the  new  enterprise  of  rail- 
" — ' — '  way-making.  Acting  under  Mr.  Stephenson's 
advice,  Mr.  Brassey  was  induced  to  tender 
for  a  contract  on  the  Grand  Junction  Line. 
This  railway  was  to  run  from  Newton  to 
Birmingham ;  and  it  now  forms  part  of  the 
London  and  North-Western  system. 

The  first  tender  Mr.  Brassey  made  was  for 
Mr.  the   Duttton  Viaduct,  near  Warrington  ;  but 

Brassey' s 

first  tender  his  estimate  did  not  partake  of  the  rashness 
Railway      of  youth,  for  it  was   SjOOo/.  hiorher  than  the 

works.  ''  ^  c:> 

rpj^g  estimate  sent  in  by  the  late  Mr.   Macintosh, 

Vilduct.  '  ^  well-known  contractor  of  that  day,  who  ob- 
tained the  contract  in  question. 

Not  discouraged  by  this  failure,  Mr. 
Brassey  next  tendered  for  the  Penkridge 
Viaduct,  which  is  between  Stafford  and 
Wolverhampton  ;  also  including  in  his  tender 
ten  miles  of  railway  on  the  same  line.  Mr. 
Mr.  Brassey  was  enabled  to  tender  for  this  con- 

Brassev's 

first  tract   by    the    liberality    of    his    bankers    at 

Railway 

contract.  Chester — Messrs.  Dixons — who,  on  being 
informed  of  the  circumstances,  at  once  agreed 
to  place  a  considerable  sum  to  his  credit. 
Mr.  Brassey  never  forgot  this  act  of  kindness 


MR.  BRASSEVS  EARLY  CAREER.  2/ 

on  their  part,  and  kept  his  principal  account    chap. 
with  these  bankers  throughout  his    lifetime.    "" — ' — ' 
Mr.  Brassey  was  successful   in  obtaining  this 
contract.      He   was    now    twenty-nine    years  a.d.  1834. 
of  age.     Doubtless    he  had   obtained  much 
knowledge  of  all  kinds  of  construction  con- 
nected with  his  business  of  a  land-surveyor. 
The  construction   of  railways,  however,  was 
at  that  time  altogether   a    novelty,  not  only 
to    him,  but    to    all    persons  engaged  in    it. 
The    work    had  not    vet    begun    to    run    in  Difficulties 

''  o  '  of  early 

grooves,  after  which  everything  is  com-  ^"^'^"f^y- 
paratively  so  easy ;  but  it  required  new 
modes  of  operation,  and  the  creation  of 
skilled  labour  of  a  new  kind ;  also  the 
management  of  larger  bodies  of  men  than 
hitherto  had  been  brought  together  for  public 
works,  and  a  more  rapid  movement  of  these 
armies  of  labouring  men,  from  place  to  place, 
than  hitherto  had  ever  been  requisite.  More- 
over, and  this  is  a  most  important  point,  the 
system  of  '  sub-contracts '  had  not  been  de- 
vised, or,  rather,  had  only  been  partially  and 
slightly  adopted, — a  system  which  has  given 
increased  facility  to  all  great  public  works. 


28 


MR,  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 


CHAP. 
II. 


Mr. 

Brassey 
meets  Mr. 
Locke. 


Mr. 

Brassey 
takes  a 
contract 
on  the 
London 
and  South- 
ampton 
Railway. 


Altogether,  to  take  a  railway  contract  in 
those  days,  and  to  work  it  out  successfully, 
was  no  light  undertaking,  but  one  which 
taxed  to  the  utmost  the  ability  of  every  kind 
possessed  by  the  contractor. 

Mr.  Brassey  having  obtained  this  contract, 
completed  it  most  successfully.  Mr.  George 
Stephenson  was  Engineer-in-chief  when  Mr. 
Brassey  took  this  contract.  A  few  months, 
however,  after  the  commencement  of  the 
line,  Mr.  Stephenson  resigned  his  appoint- 
ment ;  and  the  late  Mr.  Locke,  who  had 
been  his  pupil  and  assistant,  was  appointed 
to  succeed  him  as  Engineer-in-chief  to  the 
line. 

On  the  completion  of  the  Grand  Junction 
Railway,  Mr.  Locke  was  employed  on  the 
London  and  Southampton  Railway,  which 
had  been  commenced  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  late  Mr.  Francis  Giles. 

Mr.  Locke  asked  Mr.  Brassey  to  go 
with  him  ;  and  Mr.  Brassey  contracted  for, 
and  undertook  the  important  works  on  that 
railway  between  Basingstoke  and  Winches- 
ter, and  also,  on  other  parts  of  that  line. 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  29 


It  was  when  Mr.  Brassey  was    thirty-one    chap. 


A.D.   1836. 


years  of  age,  that  he  came  up  to  London, 
in  consequence  of  his  connection  with  the 
London  and  Southampton  Railway,  and 
thus  entered  into  a  much  larger  sphere 
of  business  ;  in  fact,  commencing  a  career 
which  was  to  lead  him  into  great  railway 
operations,  extending  over  a  large  part  of 
Europe,  India,  and  the  British  Possessions  in 
America. 

It  may  be  requisite  here  to  say  something  Business 

.  .  r      i\  /r  T         1         relations 

of    the    busmess    relations    of    Mr.     Locke  between 

Mr.  Locke 

and  Mr.  Brassey.      It  has  been  thought  by  and  Mr.    • 

Brassey. 

some  persons  that  Mr.  Locke  showed  a 
spirit  of  favouritism  for  Mr.  Brassey ;  and 
this  is  so  far  true,  that  Mr.  Locke  was 
always  delighted  to  have  Mr.  Brassey  as  a 
coadjutor :  but  those  who  knew  anything  of 
the  qualities  of  that  eminent  engineer,  Mr. 
Locke,  must  be  well  aware  that  his  regard 
as  a  man  of  business  for  any  other  man  of 
business  would  have  been  founded  upon  no 
prejudices,  and  upon  no  unreasonable  favour-  Brassey's 
itism.  To  put  the  matter  very  plainly,  it  carJy^ut 
was    soon    discovered    that    whenever    Mr.  properly. 


30  MR.  BRASSEV'S  EARLY  CAREER. 

Brassey  had  undertaken  a  contract  on  a  line, 
the  Englneer-in-chief  had  but  Httle  occasion 
execute*^  for  rigid  supervision.  Mr.  Locke  well  knew 
properly,  that  a  bargain  once  concluded  with  Mr. 
Brassey  would  be  exactly,  I  may  say  hand- 
somely, fulfilled,  and  that  no  difficulties  or 
contingencies  would  be  made  an  excuse  for 
delay,  or  an  occasion  for  demanding  any 
alteration  in  the  terms  of  the  contract.  After 
the  fall  of  a  certain  great  viaduct,  which 
disaster  will  have  to  be  mentioned  in  these 
pages,  it  was  suggested  to  Mr.  Brassey  that, 
on  his  representing  the  facts  of  the  case  to 
the  Directors  of  the  Company,  some  allevia- 
tion of  his  loss  might  be  obtained.  His  reply 
to  this  suggestion  was  in  consonance  with 
the  whole  tenour  of  his  career.  *  No,'  he 
said,  *  I  have  contracted  to  make  and  main- 
tain the  road,  and  nothing  shall  prevent 
Thomas  Brassey  from  being  as  good  as  his 
word.' 

Throughout  Mr.  Brassey 's  career,  his 
faithfulness,  his  desire  to  do  his  work  effi- 
ciently, whether  at  a  gain  or  a  loss,  together 
with  his  resolution  to  avoid  all  petty  subjects 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  3 1 

of  dispute,  naturally  made  him  a  most  wel-  chap. 
come  fellow-worker  to  any  person  placed  In  "^  '  ' 
such  an  arduous  position — a  position  requiring 
so  much  watchfulness  and  supervision — as 
that  of  Englneer-In-chlef  to  a  railway.  It 
was  an  immense  comfort  to  have  a  man 
to  deal  with,  whom  It  was  not  necessary  to 
be  looking  after  In  respect  of  any  of  the 
details  of  the  work  entrusted  to  him. 

Mr.   Brassey   married,    on    December    27,  Mr. 

.  Brassey's 

1 83 1,  Maria,  second  daughter  of  Mr.  Joseph  marriage. 
Harrison,    of    Birkenhead.       Mr.     Harrison 
carried  on  the  business  of  a  forwardlngf  agrent  Mr.  Harri- 

^      ^  son  of 

in  Liverpool,  and  acted   In  this   capacity  for  ^^^^^'^' 
the  great  firms  of  Phillips   and  Son,  Sir  J. 
Potter,  the  Houldsworths,  and  other  leading 
Manchester   houses.       In   those   days   there 
were    no    railways,    and   the   business    of  a 
forwarding  agent  was  of  an  important  and 
interesting  character,  as  he  was  the  medium 
of  communication  between  the  manufacturer 
and  the  shipper.     Mr.  Harrison  was  the  first  Mr.  Harri- 
resident   in    the    new    town    of   Birkenhead.  Bkifen- 
He   was   a   man    of  much    intelligence   and 
foresight.     Amongst  his  other    agencies,  he 


32  MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY   CAREER, 

acted  for  the  old  Quay  Canal  Company, 
and  was  one  of  the  few  persons  clear-sighted 
sufficiently  to  perceive  that  canal  property 
would  not  be  ruined  by  the  new  mode  of 
transit  by  railway ;  but  that,  in  most  in- 
stances, there  would  be  ample  employment 
for  carriers  by  canal  as  well  as  by  railway. 
Indeed,  he  gave  evidence  In  favour  of  the 
Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway  Com- 
pany, at  the  time  when  they  were  seeking 
to  obtain  their  bill  In  Parliament. 

There  was  much  sympathy  between  the 
father-in-law  and  the  son-in-law ;  and,  from 
the  time  Mr.  Brassey  commenced  business 
at  Birkenhead,  Mr.  Harrison  predicted  his 
successful  career.  Mr.  Brassey  became  ac- 
quainted with  his  future  father-in-law  shortly 
after  the  time  when  Mr.  Lawton  received 
Mr.  Brassey  as  an  articled  pupil. 
Mrs.  Mrs.   Brassey  has   survived   her  husband. 

Brassev^ 

It  is  always  a  difficult  matter  to  speak  in 
praise  of  those  who  are  living,  and  who  may 
not  like  to  read  commendation  of  themselves. 
But,  notwithstanding  this  necessary  reserve, 
it    is    right    to    mention    the    fact   that   Mr. 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER.  33 

Brassey's  first  connection  with  railways  was  chap. 
partly  due  to  the  advice  which  he  received  ' — ■ — ' 
from  his  wife.  He  naturally  hesitated 
to  leave  Birkenhead,  where  he  had  estab- 
lished a  large  and  increasing  business  ;  but 
his  wife's  spirit  and  sound  judgment  con- 
vinced her  that  her  husband  would  be 
able  to  find  a  far  more  important  sphere,  for 
the  exercise  of  his  great  abilities,  by  enlisting 
in  the  small  band  of  men  who  had  at  that 
time  taken  in  hand  the  construction  of  rail- 
ways. This  may  now  seem  a  thoroughly 
self-evident  proposition  ;  but  It  was  not  so 
then.     My  readers    must   bear  In  mind  the  Early 

...  ,  .        ,  .,  objections 

objections  that  were  raised  to  railways,  even  to  rail- 
In  Committees  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
*  How  would  the  carriages  ever  get  up  hill  ? 
how  would  they  ever  be  able  to  stop,  when 
going  down  hill  ?  what  would  happen  if  a  cow 
were  to  come  in  the  way  ?'  Such  were  the 
agitating  questions  asked  by  the  opponents  of 
the  new  mode  of  locomotion.  In  short,  they 
maintained  that  '  these  newfangled  concerns, 
might  do  to  convey  heavy  goods  (as  Improved 


34  MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 

CHAP,  tramways), but  as  for  carrying  passengers,  with 
* — ^ — '  any  comfort  or  safety,  that  was  a  ludicrous 
supposition/  It  was  a  very  courageous  thing 
for  any  woman  to  hold  a  contrary  opinion,  and 
to  hold  it  so  firmly  that  she  should  venture  to 
advise  her  husband  to  throw  in  his  fortunes 
with  the  new  and  much  depreciated  class  of 
enterprise. 

Mr.  Brassey  followed  his  wife's  advice,  and 
to  her  therefore  is  due,  in  no  slight  degree, 
the  successful  career  of  this  remarkable  man. 
There   is   the   more    credit   due   to    Mrs. 
Brassey,  as  she  doubtless  foresaw  that,  in  a 
domestic  point  of  view,  her  husband's  railway 
engagements  would   impose  a  great  burden 
upon  her,  and  a  burden  of  the  kind  which 
women  especially  dislike.     The  railway  con- 
tracts,   in   which    Mr.    Brassey   successively 
engaged,    compelled     repeated    changes    of 
residence.     In  the  course  of  thirteen  years, 
Mr,  Bras-    dating  from  the  commencement  of  his  career 
seLrai       as  a  Railway  Contractor,  Mr.  Brassey  changed 

changes  of       , 

residence,  his  residence  eleven  times  :  namely,  from 
Birkenhead  to  Stafford ;  from  Stafford  to 
Kingston-on-Thames ;     thence    to    Popham 


MR.  BRASS EY'S  EARLY  CAREER,  35 

Lane,  in  Hampshire ;  afterwards  to  Win-  chap. 
Chester ;  from  Winchester  to  Fareham  ;  from  « — r — - 
Fareham  to  Vernon  in  Normandy ;  from 
Vernon  to  Rouen  ;  from  Rouen  to  Paris ;  after- 
wards back  again  to  Rouen  ;  then  to  Kingston- 
on-Thames,  and  finally  to  Lowndes  Square, 
London.  It  may  be  seen  by  this  that  the  life 
of  a  railway  contractor  has  some  drawbacks, 
such  as  probably  may  not  have  been  thought 
of  by  my  readers. 

The     labour     and     difficulty     occasioned  Domestic 

difficulties 

to    Mrs.     Brassey,     by    these    frequent    re-  of  Mrs. 

Brassey. 

movals,  all  the  arrangements  of  which  were 
entirely  left  to  her,  may  well  be  imagined 
by  those  who  have  had  any  similar 
troubles  to  encounter.  Many  of  these  re- 
movals, especially  those  from  England,  ne- 
cessitated frequent  sales  of  furniture,  and  the 
most  cherished  articles  were  compulsorily 
parted  with.  These,  however,  though  serious 
troubles  in  themselves,  were  much  added  to 
by  the  social  difficulties  which  occur  In  such 
cases.  It  being  very  difficult,  If  not  Impossible, 
to  make  friends,  or  at  any  rate  to  retain  them, 

D2 


36  MR.  BRASSEY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 

^^^^P-     in  any  neighbourhood  in  which  a  family  does 
'      '      '  not  reside  more  than  a  year. 
Mr.  Bras-        Moreover,  Mr.   Brassey's  occupation,  and 

se/s 

absence       the  remote  distance  of  many  of  his  contracts 

from 

home.  from  his  place  of  residence,  made  constant 
absence  from  home  inevitable  ;  and  even  when 
at  home,  little  could  be  seen  by  his  family 
of  the  head  of  the  house,  as  he  was  generally 
absent  from  nine  or  half-past  nine  in  the 
morning  till  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

Of  course,  the  education  of  the  children  at 
this  period  rested  entirely  with  Mrs.  Brassey  ; 
and,  during  these  years  of  isolation,  she 
devoted  herself  with  the  utmost  affection  to 
the  care  of  her  sons. 

Mrs.  Brassey  could  speak  French  fluently, 
which  was  a  great  assistance  to  her  husband 
when  they  first  went  to  France.  He  never 
had  time  to  acquire  a  command  of  any  foreign 
language,  though,  I  believe,  he  succeeded  in 
contriving  to  understand  a  good  many  of 
those  technical  terms  which  it  w^as  desirable 
for  him  to  master. 

Notwithstanding  Mrs.  Brassey's  domestic 
avocations,   which,    as   we   have   seen,  were 


MR.   BRASS EY'S  EARLY  CAREER. 


Z7 


lar^e  and  constant,  she  did  not  fall  to  take     chap. 

II. 


the  greatest  Interest  in  her  husband's  pubHc  ^ 
career ;  and  he  was  wont  to  take  counsel  with 
her  in  all  the  weightier  matters  of  business  in 
which  he  was  concerned. 


C   38  ] 


CHAP. 
III. 


Mr. 

Hawk- 
shaw  on 
railways. 


CHAPTER    III. 

CONTRACT   WORK. 
(A.D.  1838.) 

PREVIOUSLY  to  narrating  the  series 
of  great  works  of  construction,  in 
which  Mr.  Brassey  was  engaged  in  foreign 
countries,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  little  fore- 
thought to  the  nature  of  Contract  Work,  and 
to  see  why  such  a  person  was  wanted  at  this 
particular  juncture,  and  for  this  particular 
kind  of  work. 

Mr.  Hawkshaw,  the  eminent  engineer, 
justly  observes  that  *  with  the  commence- 
ment of  the  railway  system  began  an  age  of 
great  works,  during  which  undertakings  of 
far  more  colossal  dimensions  were  rapidly 
projected,  and  required  to  be  as  rapidly 
carried  into  execution.     The  extension  of  the 


CONTRACT   WORK.  39 


railway  system  called  for  larger  docks  and     chap. 

larger  harbours,  and  since  the  construction  of  ^ — ' 

the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway  the 
public  works  that  have  been  executed  in  the 
United  Kingdom  alone  far  exceed  all  that 
had  been  done  before.'  ^ 

At  first  sight,  it  might  appear  that  there  Need  for 
was  no  need  for   the  contractor.     In  early  tors, 
days,    and    perhaps    we   may   say   in    com- 
paratively   barbarous     times,     great    works 
were   doubtless  executed  without  the  inter- 
vention of  the  contractor.      He  is  an  inevit-  amarkcf 
able  product  of  civilization  ;   for,  inevitably,  tion. 
with  civilization  comes  the  division  of  labour. 

It  is  obvious  that  one  of  the  main  advan- 
tages of  doing  work  by  contract,  and  through 
the  agency  of  a  practised  contractor,  is  that 
you  command  the  knowledge  and  experience 
of  a  trained  body  of  men,  fitted  for  the 
especial  work.  Something  of  this  kind  is  to 
be  observed  in  great  works  which  were 
executed  before  the  word  '  contractor '  came 
into  being.     We   know   but  little,  compara- 


^  See  Letter  No.  7,  in  Appendix. 


40  CONTRACT   WORK, 


CHAP,  tively  speaking,  of  the  history  of  the  con- 
^ — • — '  struction  of  the  grand  cathedrals  which 
have  arisen  throughout  the  Christian  world. 
But  we  are  told  by  those  who  have  most 
carefully  Investigated  such  matters — that 
bands  of  skilled  workmen,  chiefly  Italians, 
were  employed  In  these  buildings,  who  went 
from  place  to  place,  and  were  enabled  to 
give  Instruction  to  the  local  workmen.  This, 
in  some  measure,  accounts  for  the  uniformity 
of  style  pervading  certain  periods  of  church 
architecture. 

It  might  be  said,  that  at  first  sight, 
it  does  not  appear  why  those  who  have 
undertaken  a  great  public  work,  should 
not  execute  it  by  means  of  their  own 
officers ;  but  almost  all  experience  shows 
that  this  would  not  be  a  wise  course. 
Reasons  in  There  are  many  reasons  for  this  conclusion, 

favour  of 

contract      and   some  of  them  are   based    upon   much 

work.  ^ 

knowledge  of  human  nature.  If  the  projec- 
tors of  the  undertaking  had  to  execute  the 
work  themselves,  they  would  undoubtedly  be 
seduced  Into  frequent  change  of  plan,  from 
the  very  fact  of  their  being  masters  of  the 


CONTRACT   WORK.  4 1 


situation.     This  may  be  seen  in  much  smaller    chap. 

matters  than  public  works.      When  a  gentle-  ^ r^— 

man  undertakes  to  build  a  house  for  himself, 
many  are  the  changes  he  is  induced  to  make 
during  the  building  of  that  house,  and  large 
is  the  additional  expense  which  he  generally 
incurs. 

The  system  of  contracting  for  great  works 
necessitates  much  forethought  before  com- 
mencing them,  and,  for  the  most  part,  a 
rigid  adherence  to  the  plans  originally  laid 
down. 

It  may  serve  to  show  the  need  and  value 
of  this  system  of  contracting  for  great  works, 
that  it  perpetually  tends  to  extend  itself 
The  great  contractor  finds  it  to  his  ad- 
vantage to  sub-let  portions  of  his  contract;  sub-con- 
and  these  are  again  sub-let  to  smaller  men, 
by  which  means  individual  skill  and  exertion 
are  gradually  developed  to  the  uttermost. 
Perhaps  in  no  way  could  this  individual  skill 
and  exertion  be  more  amply  developed,  and 
the  merits  of  individual  men  be  brought 
more    prominently    forward,    than    by    this  Advant- 

.  ages  of 

system  of  contractmg.      Moreover,   it  deve-  contracts. 


42  CONTRACT   WORK, 


CHAP,  lopes  the  power  of  bearing  responsibility,  and 

"      '     '  tends  to  create  masters  out  of  men. 

Limits  to  Thus  far  as  regards  the  advantages  to  be 

contracts  deHved  from  doing    work   by  contract.      It 

may  be 

carried.  must,  however,  be  remembered  that  there  are 
limits  within  which  this  practice  should  be 
confined,  and  that  there  are  cases  to  which  it 
is  altogether  inapplicable. 

Govern-  The  demands,  for  example,  of  Government 

ments  and  p  i  i      -it 

contracts,  are  not  oi  a  nature  to  be  wholly  met  by 
dealings  with  contractors.  These  demands 
are  liable  to  be  sudden,  large,  imperative, 
and  indefinite.  Hence  Government  will  do 
wisely  not  to  abandon  their  establishments. 
It  must  also  be  remembered,  that  by  keep- 
ing up  some  of  those  establishments,  they 
have,  on  a  sudden  pressure,  some  of  the 
benefits  of  competition  within  their  reach, 
and  are  not  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  what  we 
may  call  the  foreign  element  of  contracting. 

So,  again,  as  regards  matters  into  which 
taste  and  beauty  of  design  enter,  or  where 
there  is  great  probability  of  a  change  of  plan, 
the  system  of  contracting  is  not  altogether 
admirable.     Even   as   regards  that  instance 


CONTRACT   WORK.  43 


which  I  took  before,   of  a  house  built  by  a    chap. 

.             .        Ill- 
private  individual  for  himself,  there  is   consi-  ' ^ — 

derable   probability  that   the  house  will    be 

better  built,  at  any  rate  more  suitably  built, 

for  the  owner,  if  it  is  not  built  by  contract. 

But  no  one  will  contend  that  it  is  not  likely 

to  be  an  expensively  built  house. 

Those  works,  however — whether  devised  The  kind 

,  ,  1.      ,        ,.  .  .         of  work 

by  governments,  public  bodies,  or  private  in-  fitted  for 
dividuals — of  which  the  character  is  definite, 
and  the  time  for  executing  them  not  impera- 
tively short,  are  the  works  which  it  is  most 
advisable  to  have  executed  by  contract. 

Now  the  construction  of  railways  is  work 
which  exactly  fulfils  these  conditions.  It  is 
very  definite  in  character  :  it  is  not  like  a 
demand  for  arms,  or  other  warlike  material, 
which  may  be  wanted  by  a  Government  at 
a  very  brief  notice  :  and,  in  short,  it  is  one 
of  those  products  of  labour,  in  which  con- 
tract work  may  be  most  usefully  employed. 
Accordingly,  the  contractor  makes  his  appear- 
ance on  the  stage  as  he  is  imperatively 
required. 

The  practice  of  doing  works  by  contract 


44  CONTRACT   WORK, 


^nt^'  ^^  likely  to  increase  extensively ;  and  there- 
fore, it  will  not  be  without  advantage  to 
observe,  in  the  course  of  this  memoir,  how 
contractors  have  been  wholly  entrusted,  and 
with  the  best  results,  with  the  care  of  some  of 
the  greatest  undertakings  of  our  time. 

It  may  also  be  noted  that,  in  carrying  out 
works  in  foreign  countries,  great  benefit  has 
accrued  both  to  those  countries  themselves, 
and  to  the  country  in  which  these  projects 
originated,  from  the  works  being  confided 
to  contractors  who  carried  hither  and  thither 
bands  of  skilful  workmen ;  and  who,  indi- 
rectly, brought  much  profit  to  the  mother 
country,  while  gradually  they  instructed  the 
natives  of  other  countries  in  skilled  labour, 
and  made  them  more  useful  citizens  than 
Some  ad-    they  Were  before.      There  are   some    parts 

vantages  r      x^  t   • 

derived       of    Europe     where    the    condition    of    the 

from  the 

system  of    whole  labouHng  population    has   been   per- 

contract- 

ing-  manently    raised     by    the     introduction     of 

British  skill  and  British  labour  in  the 
execution  of  a  particular  work.  And 
this  would  hardly  have  been  the  case,  or 
at  any  rate  would  not  so  soon   have  been 


CONTRACT   WORK.  45 


the     case,    but    for    the    presence    of    the     chap. 


British    contractor    and    his    accompanying  ' ' — ' 

army  of  British  workmen ;  bringing  new- 
tools,  new  modes  of  working,  new  methods 
of  payment;  and,  in  short,  introducing  an 
element  of  vigour  and  prosperity  which  could 
not  have  been  so  well  introduced  in  any 
other  way. 

In  a  speech  made  by  Mr.  Henfrey,  on  the  Mr. 
opening  of  the  Meerut  and  Umballa  section  speech. 
of  the  Delhi  Railway,  he  says:  —'How  greatly 
the  working  classes  of  this  country  (India)  have 
profited  by  the  construction  of  railways  may 
be  judged  by  the  fact,  that  out  of  the  seventy- 
five,  or  eighty  millions  sterling  expended  to 
the  present  time  on  Indian  railways,  nearly 
two-thirds,  or  between  forty  and  fifty  millions, 
must  have  passed,  I  cannot  say  into  the 
pockets,  but  into  the  hands  of  the  working 
classes.' 

When  Mr.  Brassey  took  any  contract,  he  let  Sub-con- 

r     1  1  1  tracting. 

out  portions  of  the  work  to  sub-contractors. 
His  way  of  dealing  with  them  was  this  :  he 
generally  furnished  all  the  materials,  and  all 
the  plant.     I  find  him  on  one  occasion  order-  a.d.  1847. 


4^  CONTRACT  WORK. 


CHAP,  ing  as  many  as  2,400  wagons  from  Messrs. 
'  "  '  Ransome  and  May.  He  also  provided  the 
sey  findT    horses.     The    sub-contractors  contracted  for 


for  sub^"^     the  manual  labour  alone. 


con 


tractors.  But  evcn  Mr.    Brassey,    with    all    his    in- 

telligence and  all  his  knowledge,  could  not 
make  that  intelligence  and  that  knowledge 
equivalent  to  the  minute  care  and  daily 
supervision  which  every  man  exercises  over 
matters  which  are  completely  within  his  con- 
trol. For  instance,  he  found  that  in  France  to 
provide  horses  was  an  undertaking  which  did 
not  pay;  and  afterwards  he  made  all  the 
sub-contractors  find  their  own  horses.  At  first 
this  could  not  well  have  been  done.  Bringing 
into  a  strange  country  Englishmen,  hardly 
any  of  whom  could  speak  the  language,  Mr. 
Brassey  very  properly  took  upon  himself  the 
greater  part  of  the  responsibility,  leaving  the 
sub-contractors  to  find  the  manual  labour,  and 
to  execute  the  work  at  so  much  per  metre. 
Ultimately,  the  sub-contractors  found  the 
horses,  the  manual  labour,  grease  for  the 
wagons,  and  their  own  blacksmiths. 

Mr.  Brassey 's  mode  of  dealing  with  the  sub- 


CONTRACT   WORK.  47 


contractors  was  of  an  unusual  kind,  and  such  chap. 
as  could  not  have  been  adopted  except  by  ' — *^ — 
a  man  who  had  great  experience  of  all  kinds  Mr. 

Brassey's 

of  manual  work,  and  who  was  also  a  very  dealings 

with  the 

lust  man.      They  did    not  exactly   contract  sub-con- 

J  ->  •>  tractors. 

with  him,  but  he  appointed  to  them  their 
work,  telling  them  what  price  he  should 
give  for  it.  All  the  evidence  I  have  before 
me  shows  that  they  were  content  to  take 
the  work  at  his  price,  and  that  they  never 
questioned  his  accuracy.        One  of  his  sub-  ^^• 

^  "^  Brassey 

contractors  thus  describes  the  process.  "  Thev  ^""5^  ^^^ 

■••  •'     price  of 

did  not  ask  him  any  question.  He  said,  ^^^^l^ 
*  There  is  a  piece  of  work  for  you.  Will  you 
go  into  that  ?  You  will  have  so  much  for  it.' 
And  then  they  accepted  it,  and  went  to  work." 
It  may  somewhat  surprise  the  reader  to  find 
that  all  these  sub-contractors  were  so  willing 
at  once  to  accept  Mr.  Brassey's  terms ;  but 
this  is  easily  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
conviction  which  each  of  them  had  that,  if  any 
mistake  had  been  made,  especially  a  mistake 
to  their  injury,  there  was  a  court  of  appeal  and  raises 

1  .    1     1-  1  Ti  .  prices  if 

which  listened  very  readily  to  any  grievance,  required. 
and  took  care  to  remedy  it-    The  truth  is, 


4^  CONTRACT   WORK. 


CHAP. 
III. 


that  Mr.  Brassey  would  always  increase  the 
price  of  the  contract,  or  make  It  up  to  the 
sub-contractor  In  some  other  way,  If  the 
original  contract  had  proved  to  be  too  hard  a 
bargain  for  the  sub-contractor.  Frequently  the 
work  appointed  to  the  sub-contractor  turned 
out  to  be  of  a  more  difficult  nature  than  had 
been  anticipated.  He  however,  would  not 
desist  from  the  work  on  that  account,  nor 
make  any  appeal  In  writing  to  his  employer. 
He  would  wait  until  the  time  Avhen  Mr. 
Brassey  should  come  round  to  visit  the 
works.  This  was  generally,  at  this  period, 
once  or  twice  a  month.  Of  course  Mr. 
Brassey  had  agents  who  represented  him, 
providing  the  necessary  materials,  making 
payments,  and  watching  the  work  of  the  sub- 
contractors. These  agents,  however,  seldom 
felt  disposed,  or  were  not  authorised,  to  add 
to  the   price  already  agreed    upon    between 


Meeting  Mr.  Brassey  and  any  of  the  sub-contractors.^ 
The  sub-contractor,  therefore,  who  had  made 
but    an    Indifferent  bargain,   awaited  eagerly 


sey  and  a 
sub-con- 
tractor. 


1  This  Statement  applies  only  to  the  eariier  period  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  career. 


CONTRACT  WORK.  '  49 


the   coming  of  Mr.    Brassey   to   the  works,     chap 


One  of  these  occasions  Is  thus  described: —  '    " 

He  came,  and  saw  how  matters  stood,  and  invariably- 
satisfied  the  man.  If  a  cutting,  taken  to  be  clay,  turned  out 
after  a  very  short  time  to  be  rock,  the  sub-contractor  would 
be  getting  disheartened  ;  yet  he  still  persevered,  look- 
ing to  the  time  when  Mr.  Brassey  should  come.  He  came, 
walking  along  the  line  as  usual,  with  a  number  of  followers, 
and  on  coming  to  the  cutting  he  looked  round,  counted 
the  number  of  wagons  at  the  work,  scanned  the  cutting, 
and  took  stock  of  the  nature  of  the  stuff.  '  This  is  very- 
hard,'  said  he  to  the  sub-contractor.  '  Yes,  it  is  a  pretty 
deal  harder  than  I  bargained  for.'  Mr.  Brassey  would 
linger  behind,  allowing  the  others  to  go  on,  and  then 
commenced  the  following  conversation.  'What  is  your 
price  for  this  cutting  1'  'So  much  a  yard,  sir.'  '  It  is 
very  evident  that  you  are  not  getting  it  out  for  that  price. 
Have  you  asked  for  any  advance  to  be  made  to  you  for 
this  rock? '  '  Yes,  sir,  but  I  can  make  no  sense  of  them.' 
'  If  you  say  that  your  price  is  so  much,  it  is  quite  clear 
that  you  do  not  do  it  for  that.  I  am  glad  that  you  have 
persevered  with  it,  but  I  shall  not  alter  your  price.;  it 
must  remain  as  it  is,  but  the  rock  must  be  measured  for 
you  twice;  will  that  do  for  you  ?  '  '  Yes,  very  well  indeed, 
and  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  sir.'  '  Very  well ;  go 
on;  you  have  done  well  in  persevering,  and  I  shall  look  to 
you  again.' 

The  same  witness  states  that  one  of  these  Cost  of 
Visits    of  inspection    would    often   '  cost  Mr.  Brasse/s 

inspec- 

Brassey  a  thousand  pounds;  and  as  he  went  tions. 


50  CONTRACT  WORK. 


CHAP,    along  the  line  in  these  inspections,  he  remem- 


*      '      '  bered  even  the  navvies,  and  saluted  them  by 
their  names.' 

In  making  sub-contracts,  Mr.  Brassey  was 
very  careful  to  apportion  them  according  to 
the  abilities  and  experience  of  the  sub-con- 
tractor. For  example,  he  never  liked  to  let 
the  brick-work  and  earth-work  to  one  man. 
He  would  let  the  brick-work  to  a  bricklayer, 

Care  in  ap-  and  the  carth-work  to   a  man  specially  ac- 

pointing 

sub-con-      quainted  with  that  branch.       *  I   have  often,' 

tractors.  ^ 

says  one  of  his  employds^  *  heard  him  men- 
tion, as  a  principle  of  action — "  Each  one  to 
his  own  speciality."  ' 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
dealings  with  his  sub-contractors,  it  will  be 
desirable  to  see  what  extent  of  work  was,  as 
a  general  rule,  entrusted  to  a  sub-contractor, 
and  what  number  of  men  he  had  under 
him.  I  find  that  the  sub-contracts  varied 
Amount  of  from     5,ooo/.    to     25,000/.;     and    that    the 

sub-con-  1  1        ■  1 

tracts.         number  of  men  employed  upon  them  would 

be    from  one  to  three  hundred — the  former 

Sub-let       number  being:  more  common  than  the   latter. 

sub-con-  ^ 

tracts.         I'here   were   also,   occasionally,    sub-lettings 


CONTRACT  WORK.  5  I 


made  by  these  sub-contractors  ;  but  this  was    chap. 


a   practice  of  which    Mr.    Brassey   did   not         '~~ 
approve. 

It  may  be  remarked,  that,  through- 
out his  career,  Mr.  Brassey  favoured 
and  furthered  the  co-operative  system ;  Co-opera 
constantly  giving  a  certain  share  of  the  system. 
profits  to  his  agents,  and  thus  making  them 
partakers  in  the  success  or  failure  of  the  enter- 
prise. He  also  approved  of  the  'butty-gang' 
system.  This  word  '  butty-gang '  requires  Butty- 
some  explanation.  It  means  that  certain  work 
is  let  to  a  gang  of  about  ten  or  thirteen  men, 
as  the  case  may  be,  and  that  the  proceeds  of 
the  work  are  equally  divided  amongst  them, 
something  extra  being  allowed  to  the  head 
man.  This  system  was  originated  when  the 
formation  of  canals  first  began  in  England. 
*  Butty-gangs  '  were  afterwards  employed  on 
the  Paris  fortifications  which  were  con- 
structed by  French  workmen. 


£   2 


CHAPTER  IV. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN    WORK, 

(A.D,    184I,) 

GREAT   Britain  has    been  a    fortunate 
country    in    many    respects,    but    in 
Britain        hardly  any  more  fortunate  than  in  the  time 

fortunate 

as  regards    at  which  railway  communication  was  intro- 

railway 

develop-      duced  iuto  the  country.     It  was  not  until  after 

ment. 

great  attention  had  been  paid  for  many  years 
to  the  subject  of  locomotion,  and  after  roads 
and  canals  had  been  brought  to  a  state  of 
comparative  perfection  throughout  England, 
if  not  throughout  Great  Britain,  that  railways 
began  to  be  thought  of.  This  was  an  im- 
mense advantage  for  this  country ;  and  it  was 
one  which  was  possessed  almost  exclusively 
by  Great  Britain.     In  warlike  preparations  it 


L^-^:^r"'^"""^'"~'^' 


— 1 

g 

V) 

2 

m 

^ 

r- 

> 

2 

o 

g 

n 

w 

> 

^ 

w 

o 

^ 

ba 

td 

^ 

y:^ 

^ 

R 

VI 

O 

V    '    ^    •    • 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  53 

is  discouraging  to  notice  that  when  some  chap. 
kind  of  work  has  been  brought  to  perfection,  ^ — *- — ' 
such  as  a  stately  man-of-war,  or  a  well-con- 
structed and  well-armed  battery, — that  Is,  'well 
constructed  and  well  armed '  according  to  the 
latest  knowledge  of  scientific  men  of  that  par- 
ticular time, — some,  comparatively  speaking, 
small  advance  in  science  or  improvement  in 
manufacture,  renders  the  stately  ship  or  the 
well-appointed  battery  useless,  and,  as  we  may 
almost  say,  ridiculous.  It  is  not  so,  however, 
with  what  may  be  called  the  minor  modes  of 
locomotion.  That  a  country  should  be  tra- 
versed by  these  in  every  direction  is  of  the 
greatest  advantage  as  forming  the  means  of 
easy  approach  to  the  great  lines  of  railway. 

France,  as  indeed  almost  every  other  con-  Respective 

.  '11  positions 

tmental  country,  was  not  m  the  same  happy  of  France 
position    in     this     respect    as   England,    at  England 

on  the 

the   time   when    railways  were    commenced,  introduc- 
tion of 
It   was  not,   however,  to   be   expected   that  railways. 

continental  countries  would  wait  to  develope 

a  good  system  of  roads  and  canals   before 

they   gave  their  minds  to  endeavouring  to 

bring  amongst  them  this  new  and  marvellous 


54  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

^^y^'  mode  of  transit  by  railway,  which  had  proved 
'  '  '  so  successful  and  was  in  full  activity  of  con- 
struction on  this  side  of  the  water. 

Accordingly,  about  the  year  1830,  the 
French  began  to  desire  that  railways  should 
be  introduced  into  France.  As  a  purely 
commercial  speculation,  however,  there  was 
but  little  hope  of  the  railway  system  being 
adopted  in  that  country;  and  consequently, 
the  government  was  Induced  to  choose,  in 
many  cases,  the  plan  of  giving  guarantees  to 
those  who  were  willing  to  become  share- 
holders in  any  railway  undertaking. 

It  was  natural  that  one  of  the  first  railways 

that  would  be  thought   of,  was    one   which 

should  connect  Paris  with  London.     Hence 

Paris  and    arose  the  Paris  and   Rouen  Railway.     The 

Rouen 

RaUway.  promoters  of  that  line  put  themselves  in 
communication  with  the  directors  of  the 
London  and  Southampton  Railway,  and  an 
endeavour  was  made  to  facilitate  matters  by 
an  amalgamation  of  interests. 

The  proposition  which  the  French  Board 
brought  forward  was  favourably  entertained  ; 
and  ultimately  a  joint  company  was  formed, 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  55 

called  the  Paris  and  Rouen  Railway  Company:  ^^^^• 
one  condition  stipulated  by  the  English  "  '  ' 
and  their  friends  being,  that  they  should 
appoint  the  engineer.  This  was  readily  ac- 
ceded to ;  and  the  choice  fell  on  Mr.  Locke, 
who  at  that  time  had  acquired  a  high  repu- 
tation In  England — one  important  element 
thereof  being  a  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
public  In  the  execution  of  his  works  within 
the  estimates. 

'  Mr.  Locke,  on  arriving  In  France  to  make  Mr.  Locke 

1  .  ,     goes  to 

the  necessary  arrangements,  was  impressed,  France. 
from  the  Information  given  to  him  as  to  cheap- 
ness of  labour,  with  the  Idea  that  he  should 
secure  lower  prices  for  the  work  than  he  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  allowing  in  England  : 
but    the   pretensions   of  French    contractors 
seemed  so  much  in  excess  of  his  expectations, 
that   he   suggested   to   the  Board   to   invite 
English  contractors  to  come  over  and  com 
pete  with  those  of  the  country.     This  sug 
gestlon   was    adopted ;    and   several   of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  contractors  In  England 
were  Invited  to  examine  the  projects  of  the 
works,   with   a  view  to    sending  in   tenders 


56  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 


CHAP,    for   their   execution.     Of   these   there   were 

IV. 

' — ' — '  only  three  or  four  who  really  entertained  the 
proposition.  Mr.  Brassey  and  the  late  Mr. 
William  Mackenzie  were  of  that  number ;  in 
fact,  I  believe,  they  were  the  only  two  who 
thoroughly  and  seriously  examined  the 
matter.  They  soon  discovered  that  the  real 
contest  would  be  only  between  themselves. 
The  French  contractors,  owing,  perhaps,  to  a 
want  of  practical  knowledge  of  the  execution 
of  this  new  kind  of  work,  to  their  limited 
resources  of  capital,  and,  still  further,  to  the 
short  time  (as  it  appeared  to  them)  allowed 
by  the  engineer  for  the  execution  of  the  line, 
framed  their  estimates  on  far  too  high  a 
scale. 

*  Seeing   this,    Mr.    Mackenzie    and    Mr. 

Mr.  Brassey,   not  unwisely,  agreed  to  join,  and 

joins  Mr.     Consequently  tendered  conjointly  for  the  con- 
Macken- 
zie, tracts  as  they  came  out,  and  succeeded,  by 

competition,  in  securing  the  execution  of  (with 

a  very  trifling  exception)  the  whole  of  the 

works.     This    was    Mr.   Brassey's    ddbut   in 

France,   and  in   fact   the   commencement  of 

his  practice  in  foreign  countries. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  57 

'The   works   were   commenced    in   1841  ;     chap. 
and   the   Ihie   was    opened  to  the  pubHc  in  "      ■      ' 
May  1843. 

'  Mr.    Brassey  fixed  his  residence  on  the  Mr. 
line,  and  gave  up  the  whole  of  his  time  and  removes  to 

France. 

attention  to  it.  In  those  early  days  this 
was,  even  to  Mr.  Brassey,  a  very  heavy 
and  important  undertaking.  Added  to  its 
extent,  and  the  consequent  and  natural 
difficulties  of  organization  and  manage- 
ment, it  possessed  the  new  feature  of 
being  in  a  foreign  country,  where  railway 
works  were  as  yet  unknown,  and  where,  con- 
sequently, it  was  not  easy  to  secure  as- 
sistants in  the  shape  of  practical  agents,  fore- 
men, and  gangers,  or  even  the  necessary 
labourers,  miners,  and  navvies  accustomed 
to  that  style  of  work,  and  to  the  means  of 
execution  adopted  by  the  contractor.  All 
this  considerably  enhanced  the  difficulties, 
more  especially  as  the  whole  time  for  com- 
pletion was  very  limited,  and  necessitated, 
therefore,  great  energy,  decision,  and  dis-  ' 
cernment  in  organizing  rapidly  a  very  large 


58  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CHAP,     staff  of  employes  of  every   description,    and 
"      '      '  the  bringing  over  from  England  numbers  of 

workmen  of  all  classes — amounting,  at  times, 

to  several  thousands.'^ 
Railways;        Railway  construction  has  been  one  of  the 

one  of  the 

most  most  gigantic  series  of  enterprises  of  modern 

gigantic 

enterprises  tImes,  or  of  any  times,  and  it  seems  to  me 

of  modem 

times.  that  it  cannot  but  be  interesting  to  examine 
minutely  how  such  enterprises  were  carried 
forward  by  one  of  the  foremost  men  engaged 
In  them. 

Mr.  Brassey  took  separate  contracts  for 
various  portions  of  the  line,  being  always 
able  to  underbid  his  foreign  competitors,  from 
the  knowledge  he  had  already  acquired 
in  railway-making,  and  especially  from  his 
having  begun  to  collect  around  him 
a     staff    of    well-tried     and    capable    men. 

Mr.  -Throughout  his  life  to  form  such  a  staff  was 

Brassey's 

choice  of  one  of  Mr.  Brassey's  chief  aims.  He  had, 
for  this  purpose,  qualifications  of  the  highest 
order.  In  the  first  place,  he  was  skilful  in 
his  choice  of  men.     Then  he   had  a  belief 


^  Mr.  Murton's  evidence. 


a  staff. 


as  a 
master. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK^  59 

in  the  men  he  had  chosen.      If  a  man  could     chap. 

IV.- 

not  do  well  one  thing  that  he  had  been  put  ' " — ' 

to  do,  he  did  not  get  rid  of  him,  but  ^^rassey 
would  give  him  a  trial  in  another  branch 
of  work.  Mr.  Brassey  became  well  known 
throughout  the  labour  market  as  an  em- 
ployer who  was  very  loth  to  part  with 
any  man  whom  he  had  once  employed. 

He  carried  this  practice  to  such  an  extent, 
that,  in  one  or  two  rare  instances,  when 
his  subordinates  had  opposed  him,  and 
even  tried  to  go  to  law  with  him  (but  Mr. 
Brassey  was  a  man  very  difficult  to  go  to  law 
with),  he  did  not  refuse  to  give  these  men 
further  employment.^  Moreover,  he  endea- 
voured so  to  regulate  his  work,  that  there 
should  always,  if  possible,  be  employment  for 
all  his  men,  from  the  highest  on  the  staff  to 
the  commonest  labourer.  This  is  a  matter 
of  great  difficulty  for  the  railway  contractor. 
He  is  not  in  the  position  of  a  manufacturer, 
who  may,  even  in  times  of  distress,  continue 
to  employ  his  men,  perhaps  at  a  reduced  rate 

^  See  Letter  No.  2,  in  Appendix. 


6o  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CKAP.     of  wages,  but  still  employing  them,  heaping 

' ' — '  up   goods    for   which    there    will  be  sure  to 

Contrac-     come    a  demand  at  some  time.       But  when 

tors  as  em- 
ployers,      there    comes    a    slackness,    or    a    dearth    of 

railway    enterprise,    it    is    very    difficult    to 

continue  to  provide  employment  for  all  those 

persons  who  have  been  engaged  in  railway 

work    during    busy  periods.     The    way    in 

which     Mr.     Brassey    managed,     on     these 

emergencies,  was  to  subdivide  the  work  he 

had    to   give    into    smaller    portions ;    thus 

endeavouring   to    provide   work   for   all    his 

staff,    for  a  given  period,    until    better  days 

should  come  round. 

Medical  It    will    naturally   be    a   matter   of    some 

help  for 

men.  interest   to    the   reader    to    know    how    our 

fellow-countrymen,  especially  the  navvies,  got 
on  in  a  foreign  land.  Mr.  Brassey  provided 
for  them  medical  assistance  and  hospital 
accommodation,  subscribing  always  very  liber- 
ally to  the  hospitals  that  were  in  proximity 
to  his  men ;  and  afterwards,  with  his  usual 
generosity,  often  continuing  those  subscrip- 
tions when  his  men  had  left  the  country. 
There  was  much,  however,  of  difficulty  for 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  6 1 

the    English    in   a   strange   country,    which 
their   employer   could   not  provide    against. 
They  had  to   be  employers  as  well  as   em-  of  the 
ployed ;  and  their   mode   of  instructing  the  abroad. 
Frenchmen  working  under  them,  or  working 
with  them,  was  at  first  of  a  very  original  cha- 
racter. They  pointed  to  the  earth  to  be  moved, 
or   the  wagon  to   be   filled,    said   the   word 
'  d — n '    emphatically,     starhped    their    feet, 
and  somehow  or  other  their  instructions,  thus 
conveyed,  were  generally  comprehended  by 
the  foreigner.     This  form  of  instruction  was 
only  applicable,  however,  to  very  simple  cases, 
and  some  knowledge  of  the  language  had  to 
be  acquired   by  the  men,  for  they  could  not 
afford  to  employ  interpreters,  as  was  done  by 
persons  of  a  higher  grade  in  Mr.   Brassey's 
employment.     Several  of  these,  and  of  their 
sons,  soon  acquired  a  competent  knowledge 
of  the  languages  of  those  countries  in  which 
they  had   such    large  negotiations  to  direct, 
and     orders    of    all     kinds    to    give.       But  i^^^^Ye 
among     the     navvies     there     grew     up     a  [f^^"^^" 
language   which  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  K^ng^ 
either  French  or  English ;  and  which,  in  fact,  English.' 


62  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CHAP,  must  have  resembled  that  strange  compound 
"^ — ' — '  language  (Pigeon  English)  which  is  spoken 
at  Hong  Kong  by  the  Chinese  in  their  con- 
verse with  British  sailors  and  merchants.  It 
must  have  had  at  least  as  much  French  in  it 
as  English,  for  it  is  stated  in  evidence  that 
'the  English  learnt  twice  as  much  French  as 
the  Frenchmen  learnt  English.'  This  com- 
posite language  had  its  own  forms  and 
grammar ;  and  it  seems  to  have  been  made 
use  of  in  other  countries  besides  France; 
for  afterwards  there  were  young  Savoyards 
who  became  quite  skilled  in  the  use  of  this 
particular  language,  and  who  were  employed 
Inter-        as    cheap    interpreters  between  the  sub-con- 

preters. 

tractors  and  the  native  workmen.  One  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  agents,  speaking  on  this 
subject,  says  : — 

*  It  was  not  necessary  to  understand  a  word 
of  English,  but  to  understand  the  English- 
man's Italian  or  French.  That  I  found  in 
many  cases.  A  sharp  youth,  for  example, 
would  be  always  going  about  with  a  ganger, 
to  listen  to  w^hat  he  was  saying,  and  to  inter- 
pret to  his  (the  youth's)  countrymen/ 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK,  63 

It  is  pleasing  to  find  tliat,  after  all,  we  chap. 
have  some  power  in  the  acquisition  of  ' — • — ' 
languages,  for  several  of  these  navvies  did 
eventually  acquire  a  considerable  knowledge 
of  French,  not,  of  course,  speaking  it  very 
grammatically,  but  still  having  acquired  a 
greater  knowledge  of  it,  and  a  greater 
command  of  it,  than  they  had  of  their  native 
tongue. 

On     this     railway     between     Paris     and  Languages 

spoken  by 

Rouen   there    were    no   fewer   than    eleven  the  men 

construct- 

languages  spoken  on  the  works.  The  British  ing  rail- 
spoke  English ;  the  Irish,  Erse ;  the  High- 
landers, Gaelic ;  and  the  Welshmen,  Welsh. 
Then  there  were  French,  Germans,  Belgians, 
Dutch,  Piedmontese,  Spaniards,  and  Poles 
— all  speaking  their  own  languages.  There 
was  also  one  Portuguese,  but  he  was  a  linguist 
in  his  way,  and  could  speak  some  broken 
French. 

This  concourse  of  individuals,  from  various 
nations,  took  place  wherever  a  railway  was 
being  constructed  by  English  companies,  in 
any  part  of  the  world  which  was  not  of  a 
completely  isolated  character.      It  was  there- 


64  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CHAP,    fore  of  gfreat  advantagfe  that  there  should  be 
IV.  ^  ^ 

' ^ —    some  one  language,  such  as  that  invented  by 

the    navvies,    which    should    serve    for    the 

purpose  of  talk  and  instruction  upon  railways  ; 

and  it  is   not  surprising  that  this  language 

should    have    been    adopted   wherever   the 

English  came  in  considerable  numbers  to  be 

employed   in  the   construction  of  a  line,    in 

any  foreign  country. 

Habita-  One  of  the    first   things  to  be    arranged, 

tions 

for  the       was  the  lodging  accommodation  of  the  nume- 

men. 

rous  bands  of  workmen,  which  frequently 
amounted  to  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand. 
Sometimes  they  were  located  in  huts.  On 
this  particular  railway  (the  Paris  and  Rouen 
line)  there  was  no  occasion  for  the  construc- 
tion of  huts,  for  there  are  many  villages,  lying 
close  to  each  other,  all  along  the  course  of  the 
river  Seine.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the 
Germans  were  content  with  much  poorer 
accommodation  than  the  other  labourers.  To 
use  the  words* of  an  eye-witness,  'They  would 
put  up  with  a  barn,  or  anything.* 
Advan-  Of  the    advantap^e    which    these    railway 

tages  ^  ^  ^  '' 

derived      works   proved    to  the  poorer  inhabitants  of* 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  65 


those    parts   of  the    country    through    which     chap 


these   hnes    were    carried,    it    is    difficult    to  '      '     " 
speak    too    highly.      The    *  natives,'    as  our  inhabi- 
Engiishmen  always    called  them,    were  pro-  fromraii- 
vided  with  new  tools,  and  learnt  the  use  of  works, 
them  ;  were  taught  new  forms  of  labour,  and 
the  benefit  of  organization  in  labouring;  were 
paid  regularly,  and  received  a  much  higher 
rate  of  wages,  sometimes   double  or  treble 
that  which    they    had    been    accustomed    to 
earn.      In  making  the  railway  from  Charleroi 
to  Givet,  where  the  works   were  of  a  light 
character,  Mr.    Brassey  sent  out  only  a  few 
Englishmen,  to    commence    and  superintend 
the   construction    of  the    line.     One    of  the 
sub-contractors  thus  describes  the  effect  upon 
the    natives  of  the   introduction    of  railway 
work.     '  When    we    went    there,    a    native  ^''^^^^  ^° 

13elgium. 

labourer  was  paid  one  shilling  and  three 
pence  per  day  ;  but  when  we  began  to  pay 
them  two  francs  and  two  francs  and  a  half 
a  day,  they  thought  we  were  angels  from 
heaven.'  More  provident  and  more  ab- 
stemious than  our  countrymen,  these  natives 
contrived  to  make  considerable  savings  ;  and 
F 


66  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 


CHAP,     they   trooped    back    to    their    homes,    often 


^■^^^  "  very  distant,  bringing  not  only  sustenance 
and  comfort  to  their  wives  and  famihes, 
but  having  accumulated  some  capital  for 
their  own  private  enterprises  at  home. 
There  are  extensive  districts  In  which  the 
material  prosperity  of  the  inhabitants  has 
been  permanently  raised  by  the  savings 
which  these  hardy  labourers  realized,  and 
brought  back. 

In  1843,  the  Rouen  and  Havre  Railway, 
a  continuation  of  the  Paris  and  Rouen  line, 
was  projected  to  complete  the  communication 
between  Paris  and  London,  by  way  of 
Southampton. 
Rouen  and       *  The  works    of  the   Havre  railway  were 

Havre 

Railway,  extraordinary  in  magnitude.  The  line, 
leaving  the  Valley  of  the  Seine  at  Rouen,  had 
to  cross  several  important  valleys  to  attain 
the  plateau  or  summit  level,  and  then  to 
descend  to  the  level  of  the  port  of  Havre. 

Magnitude  This    necessitated    a  large    bridge    over  the 

of  the 

works.  Seine,  many  tunnels,  eight  or  ten  in  number, 
several  large  viaducts  of  100  feet  in  height, 
and  huge  cuttings  and  embankments  ;  more- 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN   WORK,  67 

over,  the  whole  of  the  work  had  to   be  com-     chap. 

IV. 

pleted  in  two  years.     Mr.  Brassey  took  up  his  "^     " 

Mr 

residence  at  Rouen,  and  laboured  at  this  very  Brassey 
heavy  and  important  work  with  unbounded  to  Rouen, 
energy.  I  should  say  that,  never  up  to  that 
date,  had  such  heavy  works  been  carried  out  in 
so  short  a  time.  Although  many  of  his  people 
had  had  two  years'  experience  in  France,  still, 
owing  to  the  severe  character  of  the  work, 
there  was  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  the 
necessary  labour,  more  especially  as  regards 
the  mining,  brickwork,  and  masonry.  The 
contractors  were  again  obliged  -to  bring 
over  from  England  hosts  of  bricklayers,  from 
London  or  from  any  place  where  they  could  be 
found  ;  and  it  may  here  be  mentioned  that, 
of  all  classes  of  railway  labour,  as  a  rule,  the 
brickmakers  and  the  bricklayers  are  the 
worst  and  the  most  unscrupulous,  and  great 
indeed  was  the  trouble  and  expense  they 
caused.  The  necessity  also,  of  working  night 
as  well  as  day,  rendered  the  supervision  very 
difficult,  particularly  in  the  tunnels,  and  much 
anxiety  was  thereby  occasioned  to  the  engi- 
neers as  well  as  to  the  contractors. 

F2 


68  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CHAP.         '  During  the  progress  of  the  works,  a  great 

"*"    '      '  accident  occurred  in  the  second  section  of  the 

^^^^°^       hne,  in  the  fall    of  the    Barentin  Viaduct — 

vtaduct!     ^  huge  brick  construction  of  loo  feet  in  height 

and    about    one-third    of  a    mile   in    length, 

having  cost  some  50,000/.  ;    and  which  had, 

but   a  very    short    time    previously,  elicited 

the  praise    and    admiration    of  the  Minister 

of  Public  Works,  and  the  other  high  French 

officials  who  visited  it. 

'  This  great  downfall  occurred  a  very  short 
time  before  the  proposed  opening  of  the  line. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  here  to  seek  to 
establish  the  causes  of  this  failure  ;  very  rapid 
execution  in  very  bad  weather,  and  being  built. 
In  accordance  with  the  contract,  with  mortar 
made  of  lime  of  the  country  (but  with  which 
the  other  smaller  works  had  been  successfully 
built),  were  no  doubt  the  principal  causes.     • 

*  Mr.  Brassey  was  very  greatly  upset  by 
this  untoward  event ;  but  he  and  his  partner 
Mr.  Mackenzie  met  the  difficulty  most 
manfully.  '  The  first  thing  to  do,'  as  they 
said,  '  is  to  build  it  up  again,'  and  this  they 
started  most  strenuously  t6  do ;  not  waiting, 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  69 

as  many  would    have  done,   whether  justly     chap. 

or  unjustly,  to  settle,  by  litigation   or  other-  ' — "' 

wise,  upon  whom  the  responsibility  and  the 
expense  should  fall. 

*  Not  a  day  was  lost  by  them  in  the  extra- 
ordinary efforts  they  had  to  make  to  secure 
millions  of  new  bricks,  and  to  provide  hydraulic 
lime,  which  had  to  be  brought  from  a  distance. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that,  by    their  indomitable  The  Via- 

duct  re- 
energy  and  determination  promptly  to  repair  built. 

the  evil,  and  by  the  skill  of  their  agents,  they 

succeeded  in  rebuilding  this  huge  structure  in 

less  than  six  months. 

*  I  should  mention  that,  as  one  inducement 
to  the  contractors  to  open  the  Havre  line  a 
few  months  before  the  contract  time,  a  pre- 
mium of  about  10,000/.  was  offered  them. 
This  of  course  they  stood  to  lose  by  this 
accident.  The  Company,  however,  in  con- 
sideration of  their  marvellous  and  successful 
efforts  to  redeem  the  loss  of  time,  allowed 
them  the  benefit  of  this  sum,  but  the  whole 
of  the  remainder  of  the  expense  they  them- 
selves bore.  This  is  one  of  the  many  cases 
where,  in  spite  of  all   loss,   of  all  difficulty 


70 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 
personal 
manage- 
ment of 
works. 


Mr. 

Brassey 
hears  of 
the  ac- 
cident. 


that  determination  never  to  shrink,  upon  any 
pretext,  from  a  contract,  fully  evinced  itself ; 
and  therefore,  it  is  a  case  worthy  of  note. 

*  Allusion  may  appropriately  be  made  here 
to  Mr.  Brassey's  personal  management  of 
works ;  for,  at  this  period  of  his  career,  he 
had  not,  as  at  a  later  time,  multifarious  con- 
tracts in  hand  in  different  countries.  He  was 
therefore  enabled  to. give  up  nearly  all  his 
time  to  the  works  in  France ;  he,  conse-. 
quently,  gave  them  his  direct  personal 
management,  being  assisted  mainly  by  resi- 
dent agents,  each  having  the  superintendence 
of  a  district  of  a  few  miles.'  ^ 

Mr.  Harrison,  at  whose  house  Mr.  Brassey 
was  at  the  time  he  received  the  news  of  the 
Barentin  accident,  says  that  the  only  remark 
he  made,  was  simply,  '  I  must  leave  you,'  and 
that  he  at  once  sent  for  Henry  Chambers, 
who  had  charge  of  the  bricklaying  at  the 
viaduct,  to  give  instructions  about  the  re- 
building. 

I  have  endeavoured  to  give  somewhat  of  a 


^  Mr.  Murton's  evidence. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK.  7 1 


survey  of  what  were  the  elements,  moral  and     chap. 


material,  which  went  to  form  a  great  railway  "      ■      ' 

enterprise  in  a  foreign  country.       If  we  look 

at  the  several  persons  and  classes  engaged 

they     may    be     enumerated     thus : — There 

were    the    engineers    of     the    company    or 

of  the  government  who  were  the  promoters 

of    the    line.       There    were    the    principal 

contractors,    whose    work     had    to     satisfy 

these  engineers ;  and  there  were  the  agents  Organiza- 
tion re- 
of    the   contractors    to   whom    were    appor-  quired  for 

railway 

tioned  certain  lengths  of  the  line.  making. 

These  agents  had  the  duties  in  some  respects 
of  a  commissary-general  in  an  army  ;  and, 
for  the  work  to  go  on  well,  it  was  necessary 
that  they  should  be  men  of  much  intelligence 
and  force  of  character.  Then  there  were  the 
various  artisans,  such  as  bricklayers  and 
masons,  whose  work,  of  course,  was  principally 
that  of  constructing  the  culverts,  bridges,  sta- 
tions, tunnels,  and  viaducts — to  which  points 
of  the  work  the  attention  of  the  agents  had 
to  be  carefully  directed.  Again,  there  were  the 
sub-contractors,  whose  duties  I  have  enumer- 
ated :  and  under  these  were  the  gangers,  the 


72  COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK. 

CHAP,  corporals,  as  it  were,  in  this  great  army,  being 
'  '  '  the  persons  who  had  the  control  of  small 
bodies  of  the  workmen,  say  twenty  or  more. 
Then  came  the  great  body  of  navvies — 
the  privates  of  the  army,  upon  whose  en- 
durance and  valour  so  much  depended. 

It  remains  only  now  to  imagine  all  these 
numerous  bodies  in  full  and  harmonious 
action.  To  take  this  out  of  the  field  of  ima- 
gination, and  to  give  a  real  description  of  the 
scene,  I  cannot  do  better  than  quote  the  words 
of  one  of  Mr.  Brassey's  time-keepers,  from 
whose  evidence  I  have  gained  much. 

*  I  think  as  fine  a  spectacle  as  any  man 
could  witness,  who  is  accustomed  to  look  at 
work,  is  to  see  a  cutting  in  full  operation, 
with  about  twenty  wagons  being  filled,  every 
man  at  his  post,  and  every  man  with  his  shirt 
open,  working  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  the 
gangers  looking  about,  and  everything  going 
like  clockwork.  Such  an  exhibition  of  physi- 
cal power  attracted  many  French  gentlemen, 
who  came  on  to  the  cuttings  at  Paris  and 
Rouen,  and  looking  at  these  English  work- 
men with  astonishment,  said  '  Mon  Dieu  !  les 


The 
men  at 
their  work. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  WORK, 


n 


Anglais,  comme  ils  travalllent ! '  Another 
thing  that  called  forth  remark,  was  the  com- 
plete silence  that  prevailed  amongst  the  men. 
It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  the  Englishmen 
that  were  there,  with  their  muscular  arms 
and  hands  hairy  and  brown.' 


CHAP. 

IV. 


[     74  ■] 


^^^-N-a  --''" 


DiflFerent 
capabili- 
ties of 
foreign 
workmen. 


CHAPTER  V. 

COMPARISON  OF  THE  MODES  OF  WORKING  AND 
THE  OTHER  SPECIAL  CHARACTERISTICS  OF 
THE  RAILWAY  LABOURERS  OF  DIFFERENT  COUN- 
TRIES. 

THERE  is  not  anything  which  is  more 
significant  of  a  man's  nature  than  his 
mode  of  working.  Work  is  the  outcome  of 
the  whole  man.  The  same  remark  may  be 
made  of  nations  as  of  individuals ;  and, 
throughout  the  world  the  different  sections 
of  it  work  very  differently. 

Intellectually  speaking,  this  difference  is 
very  manifest,  and  it  is  to  be  noted  through- 
out the  literature  of  the  various  nations  that 
have  any  literature  at  all.  Some  peoples 
are  habitually  accurate,  and  delight  in  neat- 
ness and  in  finish ;  others  go  about  their 
work  in  a  somewhat  slovenly  and  unprepared 


COMPARISON  OF  THE  CHARA CTERISTICS] ETC.  75 


manner,   but  aim  at  larger  though  less  con-     chap. 


plete  results.  The  individuals  of  some  races  ^ 
can  work  independently,  and  so  do  their 
work  best;  others  need  a  large  amount  of 
direction  and  supervision.  Nor  are  these 
differences  less  visible  in  manual  labour.  A 
man  such  as  Mr.  Brassey,  having  to  exe 
cute  great  works  in  foreign  countries,  had,  of 
necessity,  to  pay  great  attention  to  these  dif- 
ferences in  the  capacities  of  the  various  people 
by  whom  his  work  was  to  be  executed  ;  and 
he  had  to  apportion  their  labours  and  regulate 
his  payments  accordingly. 

The  first  promoters  of  railways  in  Engfland  Advan- 

^  J  ^  tages  of 

had  one  considerable  advantage  as  regards  a  ^"k^iish 

^  ^  over  the 

certain  class  of  labourers  who  were  at  that  fi^^/ foreign 

railway 

time  ready  to  their  hands.  The  general  pj'^n^oters. 
subject  of  locomotion  of  all  kinds,  had  for 
a  long  time  attracted  great  attention  in 
England.  Road-making,  as  I  have  said  be- 
fore, prospered  to  a  greater  extent  in  England 
than  in  any  other  country  ;  but  it  was  not 
from  the  makers  of  roads  that  the  contractors 
for  railways  drew  their  best  supplies  of 
labour  of  the  lowest,  but  not  the  least  im- 


76  COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 

portant,  kind.  The  men  who  did  the  hardest 
work  in  railway  making,  were  those  who  had 
been  engaged  in  a  similar  kind  of  work,  re- 
quiring cuttings  and  embankments, — namely, 
in  the  formation  of  canals.  Hence  the  name 
Origin  of    of  '  navigator,'  which  was  soon  abbreviated 

the  word       •    ^      ^i      .       r   <  > 

'navvy.'     mto  that  01     navvy. 

These  men,  having  been  employed  in  the 
construction  of  canals,  were  eminently  fitted 
for  railway  making.  Indeed,  the  work  to 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  was  such 
as  required,  in  some  respects,  even  more  care 
and  attention  than  railway  work  ;  for  the  best 
of  brickwork  and  masonry,  and  well-made 
earth- works,  were  necessary  to  make  a  canal 
secure.  Those  persons,  who  had  to  direct 
the  commencement  of  railway  making,  had 
far  more  difficult  problems  set  before  them 
than  had  been  encountered  by  the  con- 
structors of  canals ;  but,  for  much  of  the 
inferior  work,  the  common  labourer  at  canal 
making  had  received  a  training  v/hich  more 
than  fitted  him  for  his  share  of  the  work  on 
railways. 

The  English   navvy  is    generally,   in  the 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  "JJ 

first  instance,  an  am-icultural  labourer.      He     chap. 

is,  however,  but   an    indifferent  specimen  of  " * 

a  labourer  when  he  first  commences,  and  he 
earns  only  about  two  shillings  a-day.  Gradu- 
ally he  acquires  some  of  the  skill  of  his 
fellow-workmen  ;  and  then  he  rises  into  a 
higher  class,  receiving  three  shillings  a-day. 
Ultimately,  if  he  Is  a  handy  man,  his  work 
becomes  worth  still  more,  and  his  wages  will 
rise  to  four  shillings  a-day. 

Mr.  Ballard's  evidence  with  respect  to  the  Severity  of 

a  navvy's 

amount  of  labour  done  by  the  English  work. 
navvies  is  very  precise,  and  very  valuable. 
He  states  as  his  opinion,  that  '  the  labour 
which  a  navvy  performs  exceeds  in  severity 
almost  any  other  description  of  work.'  He 
says  that  '  a  full  day's  work  consists  of  four- 
teen sets  a  day.  A  "  set "  is  a  number  of 
wagons — in  fact,  a  train.  There  are  two 
men  to  a  wagon.  If  the  wagon  goes  out 
fourteen  times,  each  man  has  to  fill  seven 
wagons  in  the  course  of  the  day.  Each 
wagon  contains  two  and  a  quarter  cubic 
yards.  The  result  is,  that  each  man  has  to 
lift  nearly  twenty  tons  weight  of  earth  on  a 


*J^  COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 

shovel  over  his  head  into  a  wagon.  The 
height  of  the  lifting  Is  about  six  feet.  This  is 
taking  it  at  fourteen  sets  a  day ;  but  the 
navvies  sometimes  contrive  to  get  through 
sixteen  sets,  and  there  are  some  men  who  will 
accomplish  that  astonishing  quantity  of  work 
by  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon — a 
result,  I  believe,  which  is  not  nearly  equalled 
by  the  workmen  of  any  other  country  in  the 
world.' 
No  trades        There  are  no  trades  unions  amongst   the 

unions 

among        navvics,   and    there   were   very   seldom  any 

navvies. 

Strikes.  This  statement  applies  not  only 
to  the  labourers  who  worked  on  the  Paris 
and  Rouen  Railway,  but  generally  to  those 
employed  throughout  the  course  of  all  Mr. 
Brassey's  railway  undertakings. 
The  ^  With  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  navvies, 

when  off  duty,  in  France  they  were  at  first 
rather  troublesome.  Brandy  was  cheap,  and 
they  had  unfortunately  a  tendency  to  drink 
it  freely,  which  was  not  the  French  habit. 
Mr.  Mackay,  after  admitting  this  tendency  to 
drink  on  the  part  of  his  countrymen,  goes  on 
to  say  : — 


navvy 

conduct 

abroad. 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  79 

But  after  a  short  time  the  French  found  that  they  were     CHAP, 
a  good-natured  sort  of  people,  who  spent  their  money   ^_     /    ^ 
freely.     Hence  they  were  always  kindly  received;  and 
even  the  gendarmes  themselves  began  very  soon  to  see 
whiclr  was  the  best  way  of  managing  the  Englishmen. 
They  got  sometimes  unruly  on  pay-day,  but  not  as  a  rule. 

The  English  navvy  came  to  his  foreign 
work  without  wife  or  family.  After  he  had 
been  employed  upon  one  railway  abroad,  he 
generally  sought  for  similar  employment ;  or, 
if  he  was  an  intelligent  man,  aimed  at  higher 
employment  on  other  railways  in  foreign 
countries.  The  unmarried  Englishmen  fre- 
quently married  foreign  wives ;  the  married 
men,  who  had  left  their  families  behind  them, 
sent  home  money  periodically  to  their  wives  ; 
and  in  either  case  they  often  sent  money  to 
their  parents. 

The  navvy,  like  most  of  his  fellow-country-  The 
men,  of  whatever  rank  or  occupation,  scorned  dress 
to  adopt  the  habits  or  the  dress  of  the 
people  he  lived  amongst.  An  accurate 
observer  thus  bears  witness  to  this  fact : — 
'  I  never  found  a  navvy  adopt  any  other 
costume,  but  the  English  navvy's  costume. 
I   have   seen  him  generally  with  a  piece  of 


4 

8o  COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 

CHAP,    string  tied  round  his  leg  below  the  knee,  and 
' — ^ — '  with  high-low  boots  laced  up,  if  he  could  but 
get  them  made/ 

Mr.  Brassey,  on  commencing  his  work   in 

France,  must  have  had  to  consider  with  great 

care  the  comparative  merits  and  powers  of 

the  English  and  French  labourer. 

Foreign  It  was  fouud  that  the  tools  in  use  abroad 

tools. 

were  of  a  most  inferior  description.  The 
French  used  wooden  spades.  Their  barrow 
was  of  a  bad  form,  and  they  had  very  inferior 
pickaxes.  These  defects  could  easily  be  re- 
medied, but  not  so  the  manner  of  carrying 
out  the  work,  and  the  men's  small  power  of 
Compara-  working.  This  was  such,  that  their  work 
of  English   was  found  to  be  worth  only  two  francs  a-day, 

and  foreign  - .  - 

labour.  while  the  English  labourer  would  earn  four 
francs  and  a-half.  In  time,  however,  the 
Frenchman  living  better  and  learning  more, 
his  work  became  worth  four  francs  a-day ; 
and,  gradually,  in  any  work  undertaken  by 
Mr.  Brassey  in  France,  the  number  of  the 
English  labourers  was  lessened,  and  the 
number  of  the  French  labourers  increased, 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES,  8 1 

until,  at  last,  the  great  bulk  of  the  railway     chap. 

work  in  that  country  was  done  by  Frenchmen.   " '~^ 

There  is  one  fact  connected  with  the  pay- 
ment of  wages  which  deserves,  I  think,  to  be 
noted.  The  Frenchman,  as  I  said,  received 
two  francs  a-day:  the  Englishman  four  francs 
and  a-half.  Now,  the  respective  results  of 
their  work  was  not  exactly  in  this  proportion, 
for  in  the  mere  moving  of  earth  it  was  found 
that  the  Frenchman  was  able  to  *  shift,'  as 
they  call  it,  half  as  much  material  as  the 
Englishman.  It  seems  to  me  probable  that 
this  disproportion  in  favour  of  the  English- 
man is  an  indication  of  the  value  attached  by  . 
the  contractor  to  any  additional  speed  in  the 
execution  of  his  work,  and  for  extra  rapidity 
of  execution  under  pressure  more  reliance 
could  be  placed  upon  the  Englishman  than 
the  Frenchman.    It  is  observable,  throughout  Mr.  Bras- 

sey's  rapi- 

Mr.  Brassey's  career,  that  he  attached  great  dityof 

executing 

value  to  the  rapid  execution  of  any  work  he  ^^orks. 
had  undertaken  ;  and  if  any  disaster  occurred, 
his    first  thought   seems  to  have   been,   not 
who  was  to  blame,  or  upon  whom  the  loss 
should  fall,  but    how  the  work    in   question 

G 


82  COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 


CHAP,    should   most    promptly   be    restored.       The 
— ' — '  other  matters  were  to  be  afterthoughts,  and 


were  always  dealt  with  by  him  in  the  most 
liberal  manner ;  for  the  proverb  that  '  It  is  no 
use  crying  over  spilt  milk/  was  often  in  his 
mouth,  and  was  acted  up  to  as  well  as  quoted. 
Mr.  Henry       As  an  iustauce  of  what  I  have  just  said, 

Harrison's 

evidence.  Mr.  Henry  Harrison,  Mr.  Brassey's  brother- 
in-law,  says,  *  I  may  mention  that  at  Rugby, 
during  the  execution  of  the  Trent  Valley  con- 
tract, there  was  a  great  difficulty  as  to  bricks  ; 
the  clay  was  very  unfavourable  for  making 
them,  and,  after  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
had  been  spent  in  making  bricks  of  an  inferior 
quality  for  the  railway,  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  abandon  the  attempt,  and  to  provide 
bricks  from  another  source.  I  naturally 
felt  greatly  discouraged  at  the  loss  which 
the  contractor  had  sustained;  but  Mr. 
Brassey  observing  this,  encouraged  me 
not  to  be  unduly  depressed,  saying  that  I 
must  never  take  such  troubles  to  my  pillow  ; 
as  the  loss  of  bricks  was  a  matter  of  secon- 
dary importance  so  long  as  the  line  was 
completed  within  the  stipulated  time.     This 


LABOURERS  TN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  ?>Z 

encouraging  bearing  on  his  part,  in  this  and     chap. 
many  other  similar  difficulties,   was  a  great  '      '      ' 
support  to  members  of  his  staff,  and  often 
cheered  them  in  their  work  amidst  circum- . 
stances  of  great  discouragement' 

But  to  resume  the  description  of  the  con- 
trast between  the  foreign  labourer  and  the 
English.  There  were  certain  branches  of 
the  work  which  were  specialities  for  them, 
*  plate-laying,'  for  instance,  was  originally,  and  The  plate- 

Itivcrs. 

remained  for  some  time,  an  English  speciality. 
Ultimately,  however,  the  Frenchman  acquired 
the  art  of  plate-laying,  and  he  does  it  now 
exceedingly  well. 

There  is  one  branch  of  work  in  which  the  The  miner. 
English  labourer  has  always  been  pre-emi- 
nent. I  refer  to  that  of  a  miner.  It  requires 
special  energy  and  endurance,  as  the  con- 
ditions under  which  a  man  has  to  labour  are 
exceedingly  unfavourable.  His  clothes  are 
frequently  saturated  with  water,  and  he  has 
to  breathe  in  a  most  oppressive  atmosphere. 
Nor  is  this  all.  It  requires  very  considerable 
courage  to  undertake  the  risks  involved  in 
that  branch  of  mining  which  consists  in  the 

0  2 


84  COMPARISON  OF   THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 

construction  of  tunnels.  I  adduce  here  the 
evidence  of  Mr.  Charles  Jones,  who  has  had 
great  experience  In  this  kind  of  construction. 
He  says  : — 

The  workmen  have  to  labour  in  a  space  which  is  tem- 
porarily shored  up  by  timber,  and  the  pressure  of  the 
earth  is  constantly  putting  the  timber  structure  to  a  great 
strain. 

At  times  you  hear  alarming  creaking  noises  round  you, 
the  earth  threatening  to  come  in  and  overwhelm  the 
labourers. 

On  being  asked  whether,  under  these  most 

trying   circumstances,    the    peculiar    national 

virtues    of  the    English   labourer    are    not 

specially  manifested,  his  reply  was  :  — 

Yes  ;  it  is  often  necessary  to  strengthen  the  temporary 
timber  structures  by  adding  additional  beams,  or  placing 
uprights  underneath  the  planks  overhead,  which  are 
yielding  to  the  weight  above  them.  It  requires  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  courage  in  the  men  employed  in  this 
kind  of  work.  If  they  shrink  from  facing  a  certain 
amount  of  danger,  the  whole  structure  would  sometimes 
come  in  upon  them,  thereby  endangering  their  lives,  and 
retarding  very  considerably  the  progress  of  the  works. 

It  is  a  matter  of  some  interest  to  observe 
what  differences  there  are  between  the  higher 
classes  of  Frenchmen  and  Englishmen  em- 
ployed in  railways — for  example,  the  engineers. 
Here,  as  might  be  expected,  the  difference  of 


The 
engineen 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  85 


the  national  character  was  very  visible.  The 
English  engineer  had,  to  use  a  common  phrase, 
more  practical  '  go-a-headism  '  in  him ;  but 
then  it  must  be  taken  into  consideration  that 
the  French  engineer  partook  of  the  nature  of 
his  Government,  and  had  a  very  different  aim 
from  that  of  the  Englishman,  following  therein 
the  views  of  his  Government,  which  aimed  at 
making  everything  most  durable.  Whatever 
he  superintended,  whether  it  was  a  bridge  or 
a  viaduct,  was  not  merely  to  last  for  ninety- 
nine  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  was 
to  be  as  durable  as  ever. 


The   different  policy  of  the    Enrfish  and  Policy  of 

,    ,  the  two 

French  Governments,  arisincr  from  the  difte-  Govern. 

*-*  ■  ments. 

rent  natures  of  the  two  nations,  is  remarkable. 
The  English  Government,  of  which,  soon  after 
the  commencement  of  railway-making,  Sir 
Robert  Peel  was  at  the  head,  admitted  to  the 
uttermost,  or  nearly  to  the  uttermost,  the 
principle  of  free  competition  in  regard  to  the 
formation  of  railways  in  England. 

I  proceed  now  to  give  an  account  of  the 
processes  of  working  of  some  of  the  other 


86 


COMPARISON  OF    THE   CHARACTERISTICS   OF 


Tools  of 

foreign 

workmen. 


Differ- 
ences of 
character 
and  work 
of  foreign 
labonrers. 


The  Pied- 
montese. 


foreign  workmen,  amongst  whom  Mr.  Brassey 
brought  his  bands  of  English  workmen  as 
pioneers  in  the  art  of  railway-making. 

Their  tools  were  mostly  of  a  similar  nature 
to  those  of  the  French,  which  were  only  '  Fly- 
tools  '  as  one  of  Mr.  Brassey 's  staff  graphic- 
ally describes  them.  In  the  work  on  Italian 
railways,  great  difference  was  found  as  regards 
the  character,  and  mode  of  working,  of  the 
different  races  who  now  constitute  the  Italian 
kingdom.  The  Piedmontese  were  found  to 
be  very  good  hands.  Indeed,  one  of  Mr. 
Brassey's  agents,  Mr.  Jones,  thus  expresses 
his  opinion  of  their  merits  : — '  For  cutting 
rock,  the  right  man  is  a  Piedmontese.  He 
will  do  the  work  cheaper  than  an  English 
miner.  He  is  hardy,  vigorous,  and  a  stout 
mountaineer  ;  he  lives  well,  and  his  muscular 
development  is  good.' 

Speaking  of  the  Piedmontese  generally,  he 
says  : — '  They  are  quiet,  orderly  men  ;  they 
are  not  often  tipsy  or  riotous ;  and  they  go 
to  their  work,  and  do  it  steadily,  putting  by 
money  before  they  go  back  to  the  hills.' 

He  then  proceeds  to  make   the  following 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES:  Sj 

general  observation  : — '  It  is  found  that  all  chap. 

the   people  born   in  the  mountains,  and  on  ' — ' — 

poor  lands,  have  more  virtue  than  those  who 

are    born    in    the    plains,    and    in    luxurious 

places.' 

With  regard  to  the  Neapolitans,  they  would  The  Nea- 
politans. 
come    in  large  troops    to    the    places    where 

railways  were  being  made ;  and  these  troops 

were  under  the  command  of  certain  chieftains, 

as  it  were.     The  leading  men,  each  of  them 

followed  by  about  a  thousand  labourers,  would 

take  a  considerable  length  of  earthworks  to  Their 

system  of 

execute — for  instance,  ten  miles  of  light  earth-  labour 

on  rail 

works,    and   side-cuttings.     Bu^   they   woiUd  ^^y^- 
not  take  a7iy  heavy  work. 

The  labourers  brought  with  them  their 
fathers  and  grandfathers  and  their  male 
children  ;  but  they  left  the  women  behind,  in 
their  native  villages.  Then  they  built  huts 
of  mud  and  trees,  which,  during  the  day, 
were  left  in  charge  of  the  old  men,  who  also 
undertook  the  cooking. 

On  account  of  the  climate  (I  am  specially 
alluding  to  work  in  the  Maremma),  these 
bands  of  men  could  not  work  more  than  six 


Their 


88  COMPARISON   OF   THE   CHARACTERISTICS   OF 


months  at  a  time.  They  usually  earned  a 
franc  a  day  ;  but  sometimes,  at  piece-work, 
they  made  very  nearly  two  francs  a  day, 
working  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours  ;  but  their 
work  was  chiefly  that  of  removing  light  soil 
in  baskets.  As  the  witness  well  said,  '  Eng- 
lish navvies  would  not  understand  this  way 
of  doing  work.'  These  poor  Neapolitans, 
who,  by  the  way,  chiefly  came  from  the 
South  of  Naples  near  the  Abruzzi,  were  a 
very  frugal  and  temperate  set  of  men.  They 
ate  bread  and  vegetables,  and  drank  'only 
water.  They  had  also  tobacco,  a  little  coffee, 
and  a  small  quantity  of  goats'  meat  now  and 
then.  After  their  six  months'  work  was 
done,  they  would  return  to  the  mountains, 
'  with  the  old  men  and  little  boys,  carrying 
the  kettles  and  pans,  and  taking  their  money 
home  with  them.' 

The  men  from  Lucca  were  a  race,  who, 
for  working  powers,  might  be  placed  between 
the  Piedmontese  and  the  Neapolitans,  being 
less  hardy  than  the  former,  and  more  so  than 
the  latter. 

With  regard  to  the  Germans,  it  is  worthy 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.    *  89 

of  remark,  that  In  the  opinion  of  a  man  who    chap. 
had  great  opportunities  of  judging,  they  had  ' — '""^ 
less  endurance  than  the  French.      His  words  Qe^mans. 
are  : — *  I  have  seen  the  Frenchmen  "  harry," 
that  Is,  overcome  their  work,  and  distress  the 
Germans  In  the  power  of  endurance.     And 
from  that  circumstance,  during  the  last  war, 
knowing  Frenchmen  very  well,  I  felt  almost 
certain  that  they  would  win  the  day.' 

It  must  be  noticed,  however,  that  the 
Germans  employed  by  Mr.  Brassey  on  the 
Paris  and  Rouen  Railway  were  chiefly  Ba- 
varians. 

We  now  come  to  the  Belgian  workmen.  The 
They  were,  as  might  be  expected,  good 
labourers  ;  and  they  had  had  some  experience 
in  railway-making  before  Mr.  Brassey's  men 
came  among  them,  for  the  King  of  the 
Belgians  had  already  taken  up  railway- 
making.  But  they,  like  the  rest  of  the  world, 
were  greatly  behind  the  English  in  several  of 
the  processes  of  work.  I  will  give  a  remark- 
able instance  of  their  backwardness,  which, 
moreover,  is  of  general  application. 

The  English,  very  early  in  their  career  of 


An 


90  COMPARISON  OF   THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF 

railway  construction,  bethought  them   of  the 

excellent  idea  of  filling  up  the  hollows  from 

English      the  heip^hts — without  any  intermediate  opera- 
mode  of  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

making      tion.     They  did  not  remove  the  earth  which 

railways. 

they  took  out  from  a  height  to  form  a  cutting, 
to  what  is  called  a  '  spoil  bank/  except  in 
particular  cases.  They  aimed  at  bringing  the 
earth,  which  they  were  obliged  to  take  from 
the  height  in  order  to  reduce  it  to  the  proper 
level,  at  once  to  the  hollow  which  they  had 
to  fill  up.  This  they  did  in  a  most  ingenious 
manner.  As  they  formed  their  line,  they  laid 
down  temporary  rails  upon  it ;  then  they  filled 
a  number  of  v/agons  with  the  earth  from  the 
cutting;  and  these  wagons,  when  filled,  were 
drawn  by  horses  out  of  the  *  cutting '  to  a 
certain  point  near  the  end  of  the  *  embank- 
ment' There,  the  wagons  were  detached 
Tipping,  fi-om  each  other.  Afterwards  they  were 
attached  singly  to  the  '  tip-horse,'  who  would 
trot  or  gallop  with  them  nearly  to  the  brink 
of  the  bank,  where  the  horse,  being  set  free 
by  a  peculiar  contrivance,  would  step  on  one 
side,  and  the  wagon,  running  on  by  its  own 
impetus,  and  coming  against  a  sleeper  placed 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  QI 


at  the  end  of  the  rails,  shot  out  the  earth  into     chap. 

V. 


the  proper  place.  This  process  is  one  alike  '  ' 
of  much  skill  and  some  daring ;  and  the 
idea  of  it  is  very  creditable  to  the  inventors. 
Anybody  who  has  watched  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding, must  have  been  greatly  interested 
by  it.  Indeed,  one  lingers  on,  watching  the 
process  with  satisfaction.  A  very  forcible 
phrase  is  in  use  among  the  navvies,  when 
they  propose  to  send  a  large  number  of 
wagons  heavily  laden  from  the  cutting  to 
the  spot  where  the  wagons  are  to  be  dis- 
charged.    They  say,  *  we'll  run    em  in  a  red  ^  "^vv/s 

^  ''         ''  phrase. 

un ; '  *  red '  standing  in  their  language  for 
large — a  phrase  which  fully  corresponds  with 
other  forms  of  their  language. 

I  will  now  give  a  description  of  how  this 
process  affected  the  Belgians,  when  they  first 
saw  it  ;  and  I  give  it  in  the  words  of  Mr. 
John  Mackay,  one  of  Mr.  Brassey's  sub- 
contractors : — 

The  Belgians  had  never  seen  wagons  before  hke  ours.  The 

I   began   laying   down   a   temporary   road :   they  could  She 

understand  that,  but  when  I  began  to  make  a  '  turn-out '  English 

for  a  '  lay-by,'  for  empty  wagons  to  come  into  as  the  ^^'^^'"^* 
full  wagons  passed,  they  could  not  make  that  out  at  all. 


92 


COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS   OF 


They  assisted  me,  but  I  was  obliged  to  manage  this  work 
myself.  At  last  I  got  the  wagons  on  the  road  and 
began  to  fill  them.  I  got  the  '  tip '  harness  on  to  the 
horses,  but  had  no  one  to  drive,  and  so  I  was  obliged  to 
drive  myself.  I  then  selected  a  nimble  Belgian  for  the 
purpose  of  teaching  him  to  become  a  driver,  but  I  had 
to  drive  a  horse  myself  for  about  two  days.  I  gave  this 
man  a  horse,  and  told  him  to  start  the  first  'set'  of 
wagons — he  looked  round  the  horse,  then  at  the  spring 
bar  that  the  chain  was  hooked  to,  but  could  not  make 
it  out  However,  I  got  the  first  set  of  wagons  filled, 
and,  being  driver,  I  drew  the  wagons  out  of  the  cutting 
to  the  tip ;  but,  to  my  great  surprise,  when  I  looked 
back,  I  saw  that  every  man  in  the  cutting  was  following 
me.  They  ranged  themselves  on  each  side  of  the  bank 
until  they  saw  the  first  set  of  wagons  tipped.  They 
could  not  make  out  how  I  pulled  the  horse  out  of  the 
road ;  or  how  the  horse  escaped,  and  the  Avagon  went 
ahead.  This  went  on  for  three  or  four  sets,  until  they 
understood  the  mode  of  operation. 


The 
Belgian 
mode  of 
railway- 
making. 


Before  Mr.  Brassey's  agents  went  out,  that 
comparatively  humble  instrument,  the  barrow, 
had  been  exclusively  used  by  the  Belgians  in 
railway  works.  If  there  was  a  cutting  and 
embankment  contiguous,  they  took  a  small 
part  of  the  earth  from  the  cutting  for  part  of 
the  embankment,  but  all  the  rest  they  put  out 
to  '  spoil/  Then  they  made  up  the  embank- 
ment  by   barrow-loads  of  earth  from    *  spoil 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES,  93 

banks.'     I  need  hardly  say  that  the  Enghsh     chap. 

wagon,  and  the  mode  of  using  it  just  des-  "      '      ' 

cribed,    have    now   been    generally   adopted 

throughout  the  Continent. 

I  cannot  here  refrain  from  giving  another  ingenuity 

remarkable    instance    of    the    character    and  nawiesat 

ingenuity   of  the    English,    which    although  fortifi- 
cations. 
not  manifested  in  railway  work,  was  carried 

into  effect  by  the  English  navvy.  It  oc- 
curred on  the  works  of  the  Paris  fortifica- 
tions commenced  at  that  time,  in  Louis 
Philippe's  reign,  at  the  instance  of  M.  Thiers. 

When  the  Paris  and  Rouen  Railway  was  completed, 
some  of  the  English  navvies  went  up  to  Paris  and  tried  to 
contract  with  the  Government  engineer  to  get  some  of 
the  work  to  be  done  by  '  butty-gangs,'  and  they  obtained 
some  work  at  French  prices. 

There  was  a  '  fosse '  or  ditch  all  round  the  works,  and 
the  stuff  from  the  ditch  was  taken  out  to  be  put  behind 
the  masonry.  The  Frenchmen  used  zigzag  roads,  to 
get  up  which  was  almost  interminable,  and  all  the  stuff 
was  taken  by  them  out  of  the  ditch  by  barrows,  and 
wheeled  up  by  this  zigzag  arrangement  on  planks, 
until  they  got  to  the  top  of  the  wall.  When  the  navvies 
began  working  they  at  once  put  a  pulley  upon  the  top 
of  the  wall,  to  make  a  '  swing  run  '  with  a  rope,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  swing  the  rope,  and  the  empty  barrow  went 
down  to  the  bottom  by  its  own  gravity ;  then  they  had 


94 


COMPARISON  OF  THE   CHARACTERISTICS  OF 


CHAP. 
V. 


Belgian 
system  of 
payment 
of  wages. 


The  men 
wish  to 
be  paid 
monthly. 


horses  on  the  top,  which  pulled  the  loaded  barrows 
vertically  up.  They  worked  that  way  for  about  six 
weeks,  and  earned  fifteen  francs  a  day  each.  Then,  no 
doubt,  tlie  French  engineers  began  to  see  that  these 
Englishmen  were  making  them  pay  an  enormous  sum  of 
money  for  the  work,  and  they  reduced  the  price;  and  the 
Englishmen,  not  having  anywhere  else  to  go,  had  to 
submit.  When  the  next  pay-day  came  round  there  was 
another  reduction  made  to  five  francs  a  day.  Then  the 
Englishmen  began  to  slacken  speed,  and  complain  that 
their  employers  cheated  them  in  the  measurement  and  in 
their  pay — they  would  not  do  more  than  five  francs' 
worth  of  work  a  day,  and  took  it  easy. 

To  revert  to  the  Belgians.  There  was  one 
remarkable  point  to  be  noticed  about  the 
Belgian  workmen,  at  least  about  those  who 
were  employed  on  the  Sambre  and  Meuse 
Railway.  Money  not  being  so  easy,  when 
easy  at  all,  in  any  country  as  in  England,  the 
English  contractor,  or  sub-contractor,  invari- 
ably paid  his  men  with  great  punctuality ;  a 
mode  of  payment  which  it  had  not  always 
been  in  the  power  of  the  native  contractor  to 
adopt.  When  Mr.  Brassey  took  the  Sambre 
and  Meuse  Railway  contract,  his  agent  being 
always  regularly  supplied  by  him,  introduced 
the  English  custom  of  paying  the  men  every 
fortnight.     After  this  had  gone  on  for  some 


LABOURERS  IN  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  95 


little  time,  the   Belgian  labourers,  in  a  body,     chap, 


petitioned  to  be  paid  monthly.  This  na- 
turally rather  astonished  the  contractors  ;  and 
one  of  them  gives  an  account  of  the  whole 
proceeding.  He  assembled  his  men  together, 
and  asked  them  what  reason  they  had  for 
making  such  a  request.  They  replied  that 
they  would  *  rather  have  their  money  once  a 
month,  because  they  should  have  more  to 
take  at  a  time.'  '  But,'  said  he,  *  you  will 
want  some  *'  sub,"  ^  during  the  month,  and  it 
will  be  quite  as  inconvenient  to  "  sub "  you 
as  to  pay.'  *  No,'  they  said,  '  they  would  not 
want  any  "  sub."  '  He  then  asked  them  how 
they  were  paid  by  their  own  contractors. 
They  replied,  '  every  six  weeks,  sometimes 
every  three  months,  and  sometimes  we  get 
none  at  all.'  I  believe  their  request  was 
listened  to.  The  truth  was,  as  the  sub-con- 
tractor remarks,  '  that  they  had  Implicit  confi- 
dence in  Englishmen,  and  they  thought  they 
could  lay  out  their  money  better  when  they 
had  a  lump-sum  at  once.' 

^  A  payment  on  account  for  *  subsistence.' 


V. 


96  COMPARISON  OF  THE  CHARA  CTERISTICS,  ETC, 

Mr.  Hawkshaw  says,  speaking  on  the 
relative  value  of  unskilled  labour  in  different 
Hawk-  countries,  *  I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
theTektive  that  its  cost  is  much  the  same  in  all.  I  have 
kbour?  had  personal  experience  in  South  America, 
in  Russia,  and  in  Holland,  as  well  as  in  my 
own  country ;  and  as  consulting  engineer  to 
some  of  the  Indian  and  other  foreign  rail- 
ways, I  am  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the 
value  of  Hindoo  and  other  labour ;  and 
though  an  English  labourer  will  do  a  larger 
amount  of  work  than  a  Creole  or  Hindoo, 
yet  you  have  to  pay  them  proportionately 
higher  wages.  Dutch  labourers  are,  I  think, 
as  good  as  English,  or  nearly  so ;  and 
Russian  workmen  are  docile  and  easily 
taught,  and  readily  adopt  every  method 
shown  to  them  to  be  better  than  their  own.'  ^ 

^  See  Letter  No.  7,  in  Appendix. 


[     97    ] 


CHAPTER   VL 

MR.  BRASSETS  SKILL  IN  DEALING  WITH  SCHEMES 
AND  CALCULATIONS. 

WE  have  seen  how  a  railway  is  started  ;    chap. 
how  the  enterprise  is  manned ;    and  ^- — r^ 
we  have  gained  some  notion  of  how  the  work 
goes  on  when  it  is  in  full  operation.     This, 
however,   gives   but    an    inadequate    repre- 
sentation of  the  labours  of  such  men  as  Mr. 
Brassey,  and  the  agents  employed  under  him. 
A    large   part,  both  of   his  work   and  their  The 
work,   consisted    in   making    calculations    re-  tion  of 

schemes. 

specting  the  different  schemes  which  were 
put  before  him ;  many  of  which,  as  might 
be  expected,  after  much  thought  and  labour 
had  been  given  to  them,  had  to  be  rejected, 
or  came  to  nothing,  at  least  for  him.  In 
fact,  I  am  told  that  Mr.  Brassey  unsuccess- 
fully tendered  for  works   to   the  amount  of 

H 


98  MR.   BRASSEY'S  SKILL  IN  DEALING 

CHAP,     nearly    150,000,000/.       In  speaking   of    this 

'      '      '   investigation  of  schemes,  one  of  Mr.  Brassey's 

agents  observes,  'this  forms  a  most  interesting 

part  of  our   experience,   as    it   has    occupied 

almost  one  half  of  our  lives.' 

Mr.  There  was  no  part  of  Mr.   Brassey's  work 

Brasse/s 

skill  in       in    which    he    showed   more  ability  than    in 

estimating 

making  these  investigations,  and  coming  to  a 
conclusion  upon  them.      Here,  too,  his  saga- 
city in  the  original  choice  of  agents,  and  in  his 
subsequent  mode  of  dealing  with  them,  came 
and  mental  ^^^^  ^"^  V^^l'     Moi'eover,  his  great  powers 
aritiimetic.  ^£  calculation,  for,  though  not  claiming  any 
of  the  wondrous    powers  of  a  Bidder,    Mr. 
Brassey  held    a    high    place    among  mental 
arithmeticians,  found  a  fitting  field  for  exertion. 
A  project         When    any  scheme  was  submitted  to  Mr, 

laid  before 

Mr.  Brassey,  he  was  accustomed  to  deal  with  it 

Brassey. 

in  this  manner.  The  proposal  was  generally 
accompanied  by  plans  and  sections  of  some 
kind,  and  a  few  calculations.  Mr.  Brassey 
then  sent  for  one  of  his  agents,  in  w^hom 
he  had  confidence,  and  who  would  probably 
be  one  of  the  persons  entrusted  to  carry 
out  the  project  if  it  were  found  to  be  accept- 


WITH  SCHEMES  AND   CALCULATIONS,  99 

able.       Mr.   Brassey  handed    the  papers   to     chap. 
this  agent,  and  asked  him  in  general  terms  "-~^' — ' 
to   look  at  them,  and  in   the  first   place  to  ^f/^°^- 

'  -1^  suits  an 

say  whether  the  figures  appeared  to  him  to  ^^^"^' 
be  anything  like  what  they  ought  to  be,  or 
what  the  work  might  be  done  for. 

The  report  of  the  agent  was  generally  a  whore- 
verbal  one,  not  occupying,  perhaps,  more  than  the  matter. 
five  minutes.  If  the  report  was  such  as  to 
induce  Mr.  Brassey  to  suppose  that  there 
might  be  something  in  the  scheme,  he  would 
say  to  the  agent,  *  Then  you  had  better  go 
off  and  see  to  it.' 

Mr.  Brassey  would  always  have  the  project 
considered  by  some  of  his  own  people  on  the 
ground  ;  and  one  of  the  points  of  investigation 
which  he  insisted  upon  being  made  with 
great  accuracy,  was  the  following : — namely, 
whether  the  length  of  line  stated  in  the 
project  was  nearly  the  same  as  the  length 
of  the  line  would  really  be.  His  reason  for 
causing  this  part  of  the  enquiry  to  be  made 
with  care,  was  one  which  gives  a  good 
instance  of  his  foresight,  and  shrewdness, 
H  2 


lOO  MR.   BRASSEY'S  SKILL  IN  DEALING 

especially  as  applicable  to  foreign  railways. 
Very  often  on  the  length  of  the  line 
depended  the  value  of  the  Government 
guarantee  to  the  shareholders.  If  the  line 
proved  to  be  much  longer  than  was  supposed, 
the  amount  of  money  at  first  thought  to  be 
sufficient  would  not  prove  to  be  sufficient. 
Then  subsequent  loans  would  have  to  be 
obtained  ;  and  Mr.  Brassey"s  experience 
showed  him  that  these  subsequent  loans 
were  almost  always  obtained  on  unfavourable 
terms. 
Action  of  The  agent  carefully  ascertained  the  length 
consider-     of  the  proposed  line  ;  examined  the  sections  ; 

ingapro-  .  •  r  •    i  i      i 

ject  went  mto  the  price  of  material  and  the  price 

of  labour  in  the  country.  Finally,  he  *  took 
out  the  quantities,'  using  the  plans  and 
sections  supplied  by  the  promoters.  The 
agent  then  came  back  to  give  a  report  to 
Mr.  Brassey. 

When  a  line  had  to  pass  through  easy 
country,  the  agent's  labour  in  making  the 
report,  and  Mr.  Brassey's  in  coming  to  a 
conclusion  upon  that  report,  were  but  light. 
In  a  mountainous  country,  however,  the  labour 


IVITH  SCHEMES  AND  CALCULATIONS.  lOI 

was  of  a  very  different  kind,  and  the  most     chap. 

...                                     VI. 
minute  investigation  of  details  was  necessary.   ' — ' 

As   an    instance   of  the   manner  in  which  An  in- 
stance of 

Mr.   Brassey  dealt  with  those  whom  he  em-  Mr. 

•^  •  Brassey  s 

ployed,  I  may  adduce  the  evidence  of  one  of  confidence, 
his  agents.  He  had  gone  for  Mr.  Brassey 
to  investigate  and  report  upon  a  proposed 
railway  in  Holland.  With  regard  to  this 
railway,  Mr.  Brassey  was  required  to  sign  a 
preliminary  contract,  which  involved  on  his  , 
part  such  a  knowledge  of  all  the  circum- 
stances as  would  enable  him  to  frame  his 
estimates.     The  agent  says  : — 

The  investigation  which  I  had  made  was  his  only 
source  of  information.  He  said,  '  Let  me  see  how  you  have 
got  at  that.'  I  came  to  his  office,  and  it  took  us  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  at  least,  to  look  over  details,  which 
was  a  great  deal  of  time  for  Mr.  Brassey  to  give  to  any 
one  matter. 

The  length  of  the  proposed  line  was.  about  120  kilo- 
metres, and  the  estimated  cost  was  about  twenty-seven 
millions  of  francs.  I  had  considered  it  for  a  long  time  ; 
and  when  he  went  into  the  matter,  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  or  twenty  minutes  at  the  outside,  he  examined 
all  the  details.  I  mean  to  say,  that  in  that  short  time 
he  turned  them  all  over,  and  stopped  at  the  difficult  points; 
and  in  the  case  of  one  of  the  bridge  estimates,  he  went 
through  my  figures  minutely,  to  see  whether  I  had  in- 


I02  MR.   PRASSEY'S  SKILL  IN  DEALING 

eluded  all  the  details  for  the  foundations,  and  had,  in 
fact,  included  every  detail  which  was  likely  to  be  involved 
in  the  execution  of  the  work.  He  looked  at  the  details 
for  culverts,  to  see  how  I  got  at  their  price,  and  then 
investigated  the  calculations  as  to  the  price  of  the  brick- 
work, of  the  stone-work,  and  the  average  quantities  of 
earthwork.  I  had  worked  them  out,  to  see  what  the 
average  was  upon  separate  lengths  of  the  line.  At  the  end 
of  this  investigation,  he  said,  '  That  will  do.'  Never  after 
that  did  he  look  into  any  estimate  of  mine  in  such  detail. 

At  the  same  time  that  we  dwell  upon  the 
apparently  wonderful  way  in  which  Mr. 
Brassey,  and  other  great  employers  of  labour, 
come  to  these  conclusions,  so  rapidly  and  yet 
at  the  same  time  so  judiciously,  we  must 
recollect  that  the  results  of  the  experience  of 
these  men  often  assume  a  very  distinct  form. 
Cost  of       For  example,  in  railway   construction,  large 

railways  at  .  ,  .  . 

home  and  experience  seems  to  snow,  as  was  pomted 
out  in  the  last  chapter,  that  there  is  very 
little  difference  between  the  cost  of  labour  in 
this  country  and  in  foreign  countries  :  at  any 
rate,  not  such  difference  as  cannot  easily  be 
allowed  for. 

Of  the  enormous  difference  that  exists  in 
the  expenses  attendant  on  the  construction  of 
railways,   and   of  the    consequent  care  that 


WITH  SCHEMES  AND   CALCULATIONS.  IO3 


must  be  taken  in  forming  estimates,  I  am  en-     chap 


abled  to  give  a  very  remarkable  illustration.   """ 

In  the  tunnel  that  was  made  on  the  Salisbury  Buckhom 

'Western 

and  Yeovil   Railway,  in  i860,  the  difference  tunnel. 
of  expense  was  as  follows  : — The  construc- 
tion of  a  yard  at  one  end  cost  12/.,  while  a 
yard  at  the  other  end  cost  as  much  as  120/.^ 

In  reverting  to  Mr.  Brassey  s  skill  as  an  Mental 
arithmetician,  I  may  make  a  remark,  which  I  tion. 
think  may  be  of  some  service  in  the  way  of 
education.  I  think  it  may  be  observed  that 
all  the  men  who  have  great  powers  of  mental 
calculation,  or  who,  as  lawyers,  statesmen, 
men  of  business,  or  authors,  show  great 
readiness  in  speech  or  action,  or  vast  memory 
as  regards  facts,  have  made  it  a  rule,  or  at 
any  rate  a  practice,  to  rely  upon  that  memory 
alone,  and  have  not  indulged  in  much  writing 
of  notes,  to  subserve  the  memory.     If  I  am  Memory 

to  be  cul- 

right  in    this  statement,  and    1    have    many  tivatedia 
memorable  examples,  such  as  the  late  Lord 
Lyndhurst  and  the  late  Baron  Rothschild,  to 
adduce  in  my  favour,  it  would  indicate  that 

*  Mr.  Harrison's  evidence. 


I04  MR,   BRASSEY'S  SKILL   IN  DEALING 

CHAP,     in    youth   great    pains    should    be    taken    to 
^^    '      '  cultivate  the  services  of  that  most  admirable 
friend  and  servant,  the  memory. 

I  am  particular  in  insisting  upon  this  point 
in  reference  to  Mr.  Brassey.  I  am  going  to 
mention  a  striking  Instance  of  his  powers 
of  calculation ;  but  before  doing  so,  I  should 
like  to  show  how  he  dealt  habitually  with 
his  memory,  and  what  trust  he  put  In  it.  He 
never  condescended  to  that  weak  practice 
of  making  many  notes.  He  had  dealings 
w^ith  hundreds,  I  may  almost  say  with  thou- 
sands, of  people.  They  came  and  told  him 
their  views  and  their  wishes,  their  schemes, 
their  intentions,  and  their  grievances.  He 
heard  them  all  ;^  and  If  he  did  not  reply  to 
them  at  the  time,  as  It  was  often  Impossible 
to  do,  for  he  had  to  make  enquiries  in  rela- 
tion to  what  they  stated,  it  was  perfectly 
certain  that  they  would  receive  answers  in 
writing,  showing  a  complete  knowledge  of 
all  the  facts  which  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  refer   to.     He   was    one   of  the   greatest 

*  See  Letter  No.  5,  in  Appendix. 


WITH  SCHEMES  AND  CALCULATIONS.  IO5 


letter-writers  ever  known.     Retainingf  in  his     chap. 

^  VI. 


mind    all    he    had    to  write    about,    he    was  '     "^' 
ready  at   any  halt  in  his   innumerable  jour-  Brasseya 
neys,  if  it  were  only  a  halt  of  a  quarter  of  ^fter- 
an  hour  at  a  railway  station,  to  sit  down  and  ^"  ^^* 
write  several  letters,  generally  of  the  clearest 
and  most  distinct  nature,   embodying  all  the 
requisite    facts    and    circumstances.        This 
masterful   memory  would    never  have   been 
attained    if    Mr.    Brassey    had  been    one    of 
those  persons  who  weakly,  as  I  think  it,  rely 
upon  notes,  or  written  materials  of  any  kind, 
in   any  matter  where  memory  alone  may  be 
expected  and  encouraged  to  do  the  work. 

I   now  give  the  instance  of  his  power  of  Example 
mental     calculation,    which     I     have    before  Brasses 
alluded  to.     I  take  the  words  of  one  of  his  caicuia- 
staff : — 

After  dinner  Mr.  Brassey,  and  Mr.  Strapp,  the  princi- 
pal representative  of  the  contract,  were  going  into  details 
of  prices;  and  Mr.  Brassey  called  me  to  take  a  chair  by 
them,  and  go  into  details  of  prices  of  different  kinds  of 
work.  I  noticed  especially,  after  we  had  given  him 
the  cost,  for  instance  of  a  bridge— all  the  details  of  the 
bridge,  and  the  total  cost— he  said  ;  '  How  many  bridges 
of  that  kind  are  there  upon  the  line  at  the  same  prices?' 


io6 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  SKILL   IN  DEALING 


CHAP. 
VI. 


Again,  as  to  the  culverts,  or  bridges  of  a  different  size. 
After  going  through  the  quantities  of  the  masonry,  we 
went  into  the  earthworks,  and  talked  about  the  nature 
of  the  material  and  average  length  of  *  lead '  from  the 
different  cuttings,  and  how  much  would  this  cost,  and  how 
much  such  and  such  a  bank  would  cost,  or  such  and  such 
a  deviation,  and  the  prices  of  different  parts  of  the  works. 
Then  we  came  to  the  question  of  rails  : — they  would  cost 
so  much  delivered  at  the  station,  and  so  much  delivered 
on  and  along  the  line.  There  was  a  very  great  distance 
to  convey  them  :  but  there  was  a  great  facility  for  carting 
during  the  winter  months,  owing  to  a  great  deal  of  wood 
being  carted  into  the  towns  for  the  winter  fires,  so  that  we 
could  get  the  rails  carted  by  a  sort  of  back  carriage  on 
sledges. 

We  had  to  get  all  these  details  as  to  carting  the  rails, 
and  we  gave  him  the  average  cost  of  the  rails  on  the  line  ; 
and  then,  almost  in  a  few  seconds,  he  arrived  at  the 
approximate  cost  of  the  line  per  mile,  mentally. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 

general 

accuracy 


Before  ending  this  chapter,  I  should 
observe  that  Mr.  Brassey's  conclusions  were 
hardly  ever  found  to  be  wrong  as  regards 
the  subject-matter  upon  which  they  were 
employed,  when  that  subject-matter  was  the 
construction  c  f  a  railway.  Whenever  he  fell 
into  any  difficulty,  it  was  generally  the  result 
of  some  financial  embarrassment ;  and  over 
such  embarrassments  no  man  can  be  said 
to  have  a  complete   control.     They  depend 


WITH  SCHEMES  AND    CALCULATIONS. 


107 


upon  large  general  causes,  against  the  opera- 
tion of  which  a  prudent  man  may  sometimes 
guard  ;  but  by  which  even  the  most  prudent 
of  men,  engaged  in  large  commercial  under- 
takings, are  liable  to  be  surprised. 


CHAP. 
VL 


[     io8    ] 


CHAP. 
VII. 


New 
phase  in 
Mr. 

Brassey's 
life. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MR.  BRASSEY'S  WORK  BECOMES  MORE  EXTENSIVE, 
(A.D.   1845.) 


M 


R.  BRASSEY  now  entered  Into  what 
may  be  called  a  new  phase  of  his  life. 
He  was  no  longer  the  contractor  for  one  or 
two  lines  only,  but  had  become  a  man  to 
whom  many  persons  resorted  when  they 
were  the  projectors  of  great  railway  schemes. 
This  Is  the  kind  of  change  which  occurs  to 
most  men,  of  any  note,  in  the  course  of  their 
career.  They  be^in  by  doing  well  some 
one  or  two  things  in  which  they  are  totally 
engaged,  being  obliged  to  attend  to  every 
detail  and  to  make  themselves  thoroughly 
masters  of  the  work.  They  do  not  so  much 
superintend  as  execute. 

It  is  sometimes  found,  however,  that  this 
change  Is  not  attended  by  fortunate  results, 


MR.  BRASSEY'S    WORK  MORE  EXTENSIVE.  IO9 


and  that  the  man  who  can  orovern  and  direct    chap 


fc> 


VII. 


a  few  persons  under  him — those  persons 
remaining  constantly  under  his  eye — is  per- 
fectly incompetent  to  manage  great  under- 
takings in  which  men,  who  have  performed 
functions  exactly  similar  to  his  own,  of  which 
he  is  perfectly  cognizant,  are  to  be  mere  units 
in  these  his  greater,  or  at  least  more  exten- 
sive undertakings.     The  error  which    those  Failure  in 

large 

commit  who  fail  when  they  are  oblip^ed,  in  ""der- 

•^  ^  takings  at 

the  course  of  their  career,  to  enter  upon  a  ^^"^^^ 

^  caused 

much    larger    field    of    operations,    is,    that  ^^  ^°^ 
they  still  pay  too  much  attention  to  details.  ^TtaUs^  ^° 
It  is  not  every  man  who  is  fitted  to  be  pro- 
moted from  an  inferior  rank,  however  well 
filled  by  him,  to  one  of  generalship  and  wide 
command. 

But   certainly  Mr.    Brassey  was  found  to  Mr. 

r  •   •  Brassey 

be  equal  to  the  change  of  position    and  of  fo^^nd 

equal  to 

duties  which  he  had  now  to  undertake.      It  th^ 

change. 

is  almost  curious  to  observe,  from  the  evi- 
dence of  all  those  who  acted  under  him,  how 
he  was  henceforward  wont  to  look  to  results 
rather  than  to  minute  details.  As  his  works 
extended — and  in  1845  he  had  on  his  hands, 


no  MR,   BRASSEY'S   WORK 


CHAP,    no  less  than  thirteen  heavy  contracts  which 

VII.  ^ 

" — ' — '  alone  r.epresented  a  length  of  about  800  miles, 
scattered  in  various  parts  of  Scotland,  Wales, 
France,  and  England — he  evidently  took  the 
greatest  care  not  to  waste  his  time,  thought, 
or  energy,  upon  any  work  of  detail  which  he 
could  get  as  well  done  for  him  by  others. 
I  always  thought,  what  an  admirable  official 
man  he  would  have  made  ;  for  skill  in  high 
office  greatly  consists  in  discerning  and 
making  use  of  the  powers  and  intelligence  of 
subordinates,  and  of  reserving  all  that  force, 
of  which  no  man  has  much  to  spare,  for  the 
solution  of  intricate  questions  and  the  deter- 
mination of  high  resolves.  The  man  who 
is  oppressed   by   details  will    never  be  able 

Mastery  of  to  do   this.     The   man   who  has  not  in  his 

details  i         •  i      i         m 

necessary     qwu  time  dealt  much  With  details,  and  learnt 

for 

success.  to  master  them,  also  will  not  be  able  to  do 
this :  and  moreover,  without  having  pre- 
viously mastered  details,  he  will  never  ac- 
quire that  respect  from  his  subordinates 
which  he  ought  to  command  ;  for  they  be- 
lieve intensely  in  the  skill  which  their  superior 
may  be  able  to  show  in  dealing  with  details. 


BECOMES  MORE  EXTENSIVE.  Ill 

Henceforth    Mr.    Brassey  was    not   to  be     ^^^^^• 
found  doing  any  of  the  work  which  an  agent  ^^"'^      ' 

Mr. 

or  sub-contractor  could  do  just  as  well.      His  Brassey's 

visits  of 

visits     to     his    various     works     necessarily  inspection 

become 

became  more  infrequent.      Indeed,  one  of  his  less  fre- 
quent. 
assistants    remarks     that    if     Mr.     Brassey 

frequently  visited  any  line,  it  was  a  proof  that 
there  was  some  difficulty  there,  or  that  some- 
thing was  going  wrong.  His  visits  were  still 
looked  forward  to  as  occasions  for  great 
rejoicing,  as  opportunities  for  the  redress  of 
grievances,  and  for  the  settlement  of  all 
questions  of  difficulty.  He  became,  as  it 
were,  the  great  consulting  physician  in 
railway  matters,  only  making  his  appear- 
ance on  critical  occasions. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  he 
began  to  work  less  ;  but  only  that  his  work, 
being  of  a  different  nature,  did  not  demand 
the  minute  supervision  which  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  give  to  it.  To  use  the  words 
of  one  of  his  agents,  '  Mr.  Brassey  never  ran 
away  from  the  duties  of  his  calling.  He  was 
a  contractor  for  public  works,  and  did  not 
pretend  to  b^  anything  else.'      He  has  been 


112  MR.   BRASSEY'S   WORK 


CHAP,    heard  to  say,  *  It  requires  a  special  education 


' — * — '  to  be  idle,  or  to  employ  the  twenty-four  hours 
in  a  rational  way,  without  any  particular 
calling  or  occupation.  To  live  the  life  of  a 
gentleman,'  he  would  add,  '  one  must   have 

Mr.  been  broug^ht  up  to  it.      It  is  impossible  for 

Brassey's  i>  r  r  ^ 

opinion       a   man,  who  has  been  eno^ap^ed  in  business 

about  re-  ^  ^    ^ 

tiring  from  pursuits  the  p^reater  part  of  his  life,  to  retire  : 

business.       ^  o  i 

if  he  does  so,  he  soon  discovers  that  he  has 
made  a  great  mistake.  I  shall  not  retire  : 
but  if,  for  some  good  reason,  I  should  be 
obliged  to  do  so,  it  would  be  to  a  farm. 
There  I  should  bring  up  stock,  which  I 
would  cause  to  be  weighed  every  day,  ascer- 
taining at  the  same  time  their  daily  cost,  as 
against  the  increasing  weight.  I  should  then 
know  when  to  sell,  and  start  again  with 
another  lot.' 

One  day  when  Mr.  Brassey  and  Mr. 
McClean  were  dining  with  Mr.  Giles,  the 
conversation  turned  upon  the  immense  for- 
tunes of  several  noblemen,  and  how  men, 
born  to  50,000/.  a  year  and  upwards,  spent 
their  income.  Upon  which  Mr.  Brassey  said, 
*  I  understand  it  is  easy  and  natural  enough 


BECOMES  MORE  EXTENSIVE.  II3 

for  those  who  are  born  and  brought  up  to  it,     chap. 
to  spend   50,000/.  or  even   1 50,000/.  a  year ;   "      ^~^ 
but  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  have  to  undergo 
the  fatigue  of  even  spending  30,000/  a  year. 
I  beheve  such  a  job  as  that  would  drive  me 
mad.' 

Neither  would  Mr.  Brassey  suffer  himself 
to  be  allured  from  the  labours  which  were 
most  congenial  to  him,  and  in  which  he  felt 
he  could  do  most  service  to  the  world,  by  any 
employment  which  some  people  might  con- 
sider to  be  of  a  higher  kind.^  He  respect- 
fully but  steadfastly  refused  all  offers  to  bring 
him  into  Parliament.     His  ambition,  as  has  ^^• 

Brassey 

been   already   stated,   was    to   be   the  Pfreat  ^^^^'^  ""^ 

^  enter  Par- 

contractor,  to  furnish  large  and  continuous  li-'^inent. 
employment  to  his  fellow-countrymen,  and 
to  the  '  natives '  of  other  countries.  He  felt 
this  to  be  a  sufficient  object  of  endeavour, 
and  one  that  would  occupy  him  throughout 
his  lifetime,  as  long  as  his  power  of  promo- 
ting so  great  an  object  remained  to  him. 
It  cannot  be  said,  either,  that  Mr.  Brassey 


^  See  Letter  No.  3,  in  Appendix. 
I 


114  MR.   BRASSEY'S    WORK 


CHAP,     ^as  much  attracted  by  honours  of  any  kind. 

vn.  ^  -' 

'  '  One  of  his  agents  thus  describes  his  recep- 
tion of  the  Cross  of  the  Iron  Crown  from  the 
Emperor  of  Austria  : — 

Returning  from  Vienna,  Mr.  Brassey  was  waited  upon  at 
Meurice's  Hotel,  Paris,  by  one  of  his  agents,  who  arrived  in 
the  room  at  the  very  moment  his  travelling  servant  Isidore 
was  arranging  in  a  little  box  the  Cross  of  the  Iron  Crown, 
which  Mr.  Brassey  had  just  before  received  from  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria.  Made  acquainted  with  the  circumstance, 
the  agent  complimented  his  chief  as  to  the  well-merited 
recognition  of  his  services,  &c.,  and  the  conversation 
continued  on  Foreign  Orders  generally.  Mr.  Brassey 
remarked  that,  as  an  Englishman,  he  did  not  know  what 
good  Crosses  were  to  him ;  but  that  he  could  well  imagine 
how  eagerly  they  were  sought  after  by  the  subjects  of  those 
Governments  which  gave  away  Orders  in  reward  for  civil 
services  rendered  to  the  State,  &c.  He  added,  that  in 
regard  to  the  Cross  of  the  Iron  Crown,  it  had  been 
graciously  offered  to  him  by  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and 
there  was  no  alternative  but  to  accept  this  mark  of  the 
Sovereign's  appreciation  of  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the 
construction  of  public  works,  however  unworthy  he  was 
of  such  a  distinction.  '  Have  I  not  other  Crosses  ?  '  said 
■  Mr.  Brassey.  *  Yes,'  said  his  agent ;  '  I  know  of  two 
others,  the  Legion  of  Honour  of  France,  and  the 
Chevaliership  of  Italy.  Where  are  they  ? '  But  as  this 
question  could  not  be  answered,  it  was  settled  that  two 
duplicate  crosses  should  be  procured  at  once  (the  originals 
having  been  mislaid)  in  order  that  Mr.  Brassey  might 
take  them  across  to  Lowndes  Square  the  same  evening. 
*  Mrs.  Brassey  will  be  glad  to  possess  all  these  Crosses.' 


BECOMES  MORE  EXTENSIVE.  1 15 

This    simple    remark    of    Mr.     Brassey's     ^^j"^^- 
contained  a  world  of  meaning,  for  although  '      ' 
he   attached  no  importance  to  such  matters 
himself,  he  knew  and  appreciated  the  great 
interest  taken  by  his  wife  in  all  things  touch- 
ing his  fame. 

I  may  here  remark  that  when  Mr.  Brassey  jan.  12, 
received  the  Cross  of  the  '  Legion  of  Honour' 
from    the     Emperor    of    the    French,    the 
Emperor    invited     him    to     dinner    at    the  Mr. 

Brassey 

Tuileries  ;   and  at  this   dinner  Mr.    Brassey  dines  with 
sat  near  the  Empress,  with  whose  grace  and  Emperor 
manner   he   was   much    charmed,    and    was  ^"^^^c^- 
especially  pleased  with  her  kindness  in  talk- 
ing English  to  him  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  time. 

*  Although  the  great  bulk  of  the  enterprises  Extent 

of  Mr. 

achieved  by  Mr.  Brassey  was  the  formation  Brassey's 

work. 

of  railways,  with  all  their  appurtenances,  still 
his  operations  were  by  no  means  limited  to 
this  branch ;  he  interested  himself  and  took 
prominent  part  in  various  other  vast  projects, 
such  as  steam-ships,  mines,  engine  factories, 
marine  telegraphs,  and  in  many  cases  he 
became  the  main  support  and  the  largest 
I  2 


Il6  MR.  BRASSEY'S    WORK 


^N^'  proprietor  of  many  of  these  costly  under- 
'      '  takings. 

*  Mr.  Brassey  may  therefore  be  said  to 
have  been  a  man  of  almost  universal  utility 
to  the  civilized  world,  and  the  results  of 
his  long  industrious  career  have  not  been 
merely  the  accumulation  of  a  colossal  fortune 
for  himself  and  those  to  follow  him,  but  have 
had  a  far  more  important  character,  great 
services  rendered  to  mankind  ;  and  as  such, 
his  memory  cannot  fail  to  be  regarded  with 
pride  not  only  by  all  who  knew  him,  but  by 
all  his  countrymen  and  the  world  in  general.'^ 

Mr.  Brassey's  personal  activity  is  well 
described  by  Mr.  Henry  Harrison,  his 
brother-in-law.  He  says,  *  I  have  known  him- 
come  direct  from  France  to  Rugby.  Having 
left  Havre  the  night  before,  he  would  have 
been  engaged  in  the  office  in  London  the 
whole  day;    he  would  then   come  down  to 


Mr.  Rugfby  by  the  mail  train  at  twelve  o'clock, 

Brassey's  &    ^       ^ 

activity.      and  it  was  his  common  practice  to  be  on  the 
works  by  six  o'clock  the  next  morning.     He 


*  Mr.  Murton's  evidence. 


BECOMES  MORE  EXTENSIVE.  II J 

would  frequently  walk  from  Rugby  to  Nun-  chap. 
eaton,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles.  Having  '  '  ' 
arrived  at  Nuneaton  in  the  afternoon,  he 
would  proceed  the  same  night  by  road  to 
Tamworth ;  and  the  next  morning  he  would 
be  out  on  the  road,  so  soon,  that  he  had  the 
reputation,  among  his  staff,  of  being  the  first 
man  on  the  works.  He  used  to  proceed 
over  the  works  from  Tamworth  to  Stafford, 
walking  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  ;  and 
he  would  frequently  proceed  that  same 
evening  to  Lancaster,  in  order  to  inspect  the 
works  then  in  progress  under  the  contract 
which  he  had  for  the  execution  of  the  railway 
from  Lancaster  to  Carlisle.  The  journey 
which  I  have  described  from  Havre,  vii 
London  to  Rugby,  thence  over  the  Trent  to 
Stafford,  and  by  railway  to  Lancaster,  to 
inspect  the  Lancaster  and  Carlisle  line,  was  a 
route  which  he  very  commonly  followed.' 


^4^ 


[     'i8     ] 


CHAP. 
VIIl. 


Mr. 
Ballard. 


CHAPTER   VIIL 

THE   GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 
(A.  D.  1847.) 

IN  this  Chapter  will  be  described  one  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  most  important  enter- 
prises— namely,  the  formation  of  the  Great 
Northern  Railway.  Some  of  the  greatest 
difficulties  depending  upon  the  construction 
of  this  railway  were  solved  by  the  intelli- 
gence of  Mr.  Stephen  Ballard.  But  never 
were  Mr.  Brassey's  qualities  for  choosing 
fit  men,  for  appreciating  their  work  as  it 
proceeded,  and  for  dealing  wisely  and  kindly 
with  them,  more  conspicuous  than  on  this 
occasion. 

It  is  noticed  elsewhere  how  many  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  chief  agents  rose  from  small 
beginnings,  and  became  persons  distinguished 


THE   GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY.  II9 


for  their  capability  in  the  management  of  the    chap 


greatest  affairs.  Mr.  Ballard  was  no  excep- 
tion to  this  rule.  He  was  intended  for  a 
nurseryman ;  was  employed  for  two  years 
in  the  gardens  of  Messrs.  Lee  and  Kennedy 
of  Hammersmith  ;  and  afterwards  went  to 
Hewell  Grange  to  learn  kitchen  gardening. 
When  he  came  to  years  of  discretion,  he 
determined  to  learn  building,  and  spent  three 
years  as  an  apprentice  to  Mr.  Lucy  of  Chel- 
tenham. He  was  then  appointed  by  Mr. 
Biddulph,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Michael 
Biddulph,  M.P.,  as  manager  of  the  Hereford 
and  Gloucester  Canal ;  and,  after  the  comple- 
tion of  that  work,  he  was  made  the  resi- 
dent engineer  of  the  Middle  Level  Drain, 
part  of  the  Great  Bedford  Level  in  the  Fens. 
That  work  was  on  the  point  of  completion 
when  Mr.  Ballard  first  became  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Brassey. 

The  introduction  was  quite  accidental,  and  Mr. 
took   place   at  the  railway  station  at   Cam-  meets  Mr. 
bridge.       Mr.   Brassey  was  then  returning  to     '^^^'^^* 
London    from    a   visit   of  inspection    to  the 
country  through  which  the  Great  Northern 


I20  THE   GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 

CHAP.  Railway  was  intended  to  pass.  Mr.  Brassey 
' — ' — "  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  daunted  by  the 
difficulties  of  any  undertaking ;  but  anyone, 
who  knows  the  Fen  country,  must  be  well 
aware  that  there  were  difficulties  which  would 
cause  any  contractor  to  feel  very  anxious 
about  the  prospects  of  an  undertaking  in  a 
district  of  such  a  peculiar  nature.  The 
person  who  had  introduced  Mr.  Ballard  to 
Mr.  Brassey  was  Mr.  Smith,  the  agent  of  the 
contractor  for  the  great  Sluice  on  the  Middle 
Level  Bank.  After  these  gentlemen  had  got 
into  the  railway  carriage,  Mr.  Brassey 
mentioned  that  he  had  been  looking  over  the 
line  of  the  proposed  Great  Northern  Railway, 
which  was  to  pass  through  the  fens  ;  and  with 
A  quaking  regard  to  a  certain  quaking  bog  which  he  had 
°^*  examined,  he  said,  '  You  can  stand  upon  it, 

and  shake  an  acre  of  it  together.'  He  added, 
that  he  hardly  knew  what  to  do  with  the 
railway  there,  but  that  it  must  be  carried  over. 
He  supposed  that  he  must  make  a  float,  and 
float  it  over.  Mr.  Smith,  replied,  *  You  had 
better  get  Mr.  Ballard's  advice  as  to  the  best 
way  of  passing  over  that  quaking  bog :  he  has 


THE   GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY,  121 


had    considerable    experience  in  fen-work  in     chap. 


our  Middle  Level  Drain/     The  result  of  this  • — ' 

interview  was,  that  Mr.  Ballard  became  the 
principal  Agent  for  Mr.  Brassey  as  regards 
the  works  that  had  to  be  carried  out  in  the 
Fen  country.  The  Fens  which  Mr.  Ballard  had 
to  master  were  those  adjacent  to  Whittlesea 
Mere,  which  is  now  drained  and  has  good  crops 
growing  on  what  was  once  the  bottom  of  it. 
The  depth  of  the  bog  was  no  less  than 
twenty-two  feet,  and  it  extended  on  a  level 
for  about  three  miles. 

Mr.  Ballard  divided  the  Fen  country  which  Mr. 

Ballard's 

he  had  to  deal  with  into  three   districts  ;  and  mode  of 

procedure. 

made  a  report  to  Mr.  Brassey  showing  the 
different  modes  of  treatment  that  should 
be  applied  to  each  district.  Mr.  Brassey 
immediately  adopted  the  conclusions  arrived 
at  In  that  report.  There  were  certain  port- 
able engines  held  to  be  necessary  for  the 
work — engines  of  a  kind  that  were  then  very 
rarely  used.  One,  however,  had  already 
been  made  by  the  well-known  firm  of  Clayton 
and  Shuttleworth,  which  engine,  by  the  way, 
it  had  taken  them  six  weeks  to  make,  while 


122  THk  GREA  T  NORTHERN  RAIL  WA  Y. 


CHAP,     now^  they   are    turninor    out   about    four    of 
VIII.  ^  ^ 


^^    '      '  these  engines  every  day. 

This  engine  had  been  sold  to  a  farmer, 
but  Mr.  Ballard  persuaded  him  to  give  it  up 
Mr^  upon  payment  of  a  certain   sum.     The  next 

mode^of  thing  was  to  provide  a  large  quantity  of 
thrbog.  faggot-wood.  For  this  purpose  he  caused  a 
TOO  acres  of  faggot- wood  to  be  cut  down.  A 
platform  was  then  constructed  of  the  stakes 
thus  cut,  placing  them  end  to  end  the  reverse 
way.  Then,  upon  the  first  layer  of  stakes, 
a  layer  of  peat  sods  was  placed ;  after- 
wards stakes  were  placed  longitudinally,  upon 
which  another  layer  of  sods  was  put.  Then 
a  transverse  layer  of  stakes ;  upon  this  a 
third  layer  of  sods.  By  this  time  a  sort  of  raft 
had  been  formed,  upon  which  the  soil  was 
gradually  piled  up,  giving  the  water  time 
to  run  out.  I  will  here  avail  myself  of  Mr. 
Ballard's  own  words  : — 

'  The  effect  was  to  displace  the  water,  but 
to  leave  -the  solid  parts  behind.  This  is  not 
to   be   done   by   suddenly   adding  on   great 

*  A.D.  1872. 


THE  GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWA  Y.  I23 

weight,  but  by  a  gradual  and  slow  increase  of    chap. 
weight,  so  that  the  water  has  time  to  escape  "      • — 
without    carrying    away    with    it   the    solid 
matter.     That  plan  has  succeeded,  and  you 
may  go  to  any  height  you  like  if  you  treat 
peat  in  that  way.' 

A    further    difficulty,    of    much    apparent  Bridges  in 
magnitude,  occurred  in  reference  to  the  bridges  district? 
which    had    to    be   constructed   in   the    Fen 
country.     Here  again  I  had  better  give  the 
constructor's  own  words  : — 

*  I  will  explain  the  way  in  which  we  made 
the  bridges — they  were  intended  to  be  piled. 
The  peat  was  22  feet  deep,  and  I  pointed  out 
to  the  engineer  the  difficulty  of  sufficiently 
bracing  the  piles,  their  tops  being  only  about 
three  feet  above  the  soft  bog. 

'  The  piling  was  given  up,  and  we  made 
rafts  of  timber  on  which  brick  walls  were 
built.  These  gradually  sank,  care  being  taken 
to  so  dispose  the  weight  as  to  keep  the  walls 
perpendicular,  and  finally  these  walls  were 
tested  with  rails  of  a  greater  weight  than 
that  of  any  train  that  could  pass  over  them. 
We  did  not  load  too  quickly,  but  left  it ;  we 


I  24  THE  GREA  T  NORTHERN  RAH  WA  V. 

CHAP,     put  a  little  load  on,  and  left  it ;  and  then  the 

VIII.       ^ 

' '      '  water  had  a  chance  of  escaping.     We  only 

compressed  the  peat  beneath  the  raft,  without 
displacing  it,  for  if  we  had  once  displaced  it 
we  must  have  gone  down  to  the  solid.' 

The  result  of  this  intelligence  shown  by- 
Mr.  Ballard  in  conquering  the  difficulties  of 
the  Fen  country,  was,  that  what  had  been 
considered  beforehand  the  most  difficult  part 
of  the  work,  turned  out  to  be  the  part  most 
easily  accomplished. 

At  that  period  certain  difficulties  arose  as 
regards  the  financial  part  of  the  undertaking, 
and  there  was  even  some  doubt  whether  a 
part  of  the  works  on  the  line  should  not  be 
stopped.      It  was  a  notable  feature  in  all  Mr. 
Brassey's     Brasscy's  Undertakings,  that  he  could  not  bear 
carly^out     to  Icave  anything  undone  or  half-done.      He 
thorough-    might  have  made  large  claims  for  any  delay 
^'  occasioned  by  these  financial  difficulties.     On 

the  contrary,  however,  he  arranged  to  facilitate 
the  enterprise  by  taking  the  Company's  mort- 
gage Bonds  In  lieu  of  cash,  as  also  did  Mr. 
Ballard,  who  had  engaged  with  Mr.  Brassey 
to  take  a  share  of  the  profits — a  percentage 


THE  GREA  T  NORTHERN  RAIL  WA  Y  I  25 


for  his  services.       It  may  be  noted  that  the     chap, 


Great  Northern  Company  behaved  with  a 
very  proper  Hberah'ty  to  Mr.  Ballard.  He 
had  sold  his  Bonds  at  a  loss,  and  eventually 
they  made  that  loss  good  to  him. 

The  evidence  of  Mr.  Ballard  is  as  interest- 
ing and  valuable  as  regards  his  superior,  as 
it  is  respecting  the  men  who  worked  under 
him.^  It  would  be  a  pity  to  condense  this  cr 
to  give  it  in  any  other  but  his  own  words,  as 
it  affords  such  a  good  exemplification  of 
character :  — 

It  was  impossible  to  walk  along  the  line  without  re- 
ceiving from  him  very  valuable  instruction — his  experi- 
ence was  so  very  great,  and  he  had  such  a  comprehensive 
way  always  of  looking  at  a  difficult  point.  That  was  very 
remarkable  and  peculiar  in  him.  If  he  came  down  to 
look  at  a  line  of  Railway,  he  would  walk  over  it,  look  at 
the  crops  of  the  country,  and  regard  easy  works  as 
beneath  his  notice:  he  never  looked  at  them;  but  if 
there  was  a  difficult  point,  as  he  could  see  by  the  section, 
then  there  was  something  to  look  at,  and  he  would  go 
and  always  put  his  thumb  on  the  sore  place  :  he  would 
not  waste  his  time  in  looking  at  little  light  matters  that 
he  knew  were  easy  enough,  but  he  always  went  straight 
to  the  sticking-place.  He  economized  his  time  and 
brought  his  experience  and  judgment  to  bear  where  they 

*  Chapter  V.  p.  77. 


VIII. 


126  THE   GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 


CHAP,     were  useful.     He  applied  to  engineering,  that  peculiar 

V. ^_L^    quality  of  concentration  which  is  equally  necessary  in  all 

other  walks  of  life,  in  order  to  achieve  success.  He  had 
great  industry  and  always  applied  it  in  the  right  way. 
He  would  not  fritter  away  his  time  upon  trifles,  when 
there  was  a  more  important  thing  to  occupy  his  attention. 
He  was  very  quick  indeed  in  discovering  beforehand,  to 
the  astonishment  of  those  who  had  the  management  of 
the  work,  where  there  would  be  a  pinch,  and  he  would 
say,  '  If  you  do  not  do  this,  you  will  be  wrong.'  He 
could  look  at  a  thing  and  foresee  the  state  it  would  be  in 
six  months  hence.  His  discernment  was  very  acute,  and 
he  would  point  out  to  us  where  we  were  to  provide  for 
difficulties,  which  we  might  ourselves  have  overlooked ; 
but  regarding  which  the  moment  he  mentioned  them 
there  could  be  no  difference  of  opinion. 

Number  of       The  largcHcss  of  these  undertakings  may 
employed    be  appreciated  when,  as  in  the  present  instance, 

on  the  r  1      1  1 

Great         it  IS  found  that  at  least  from  5,000  to  6,000 

Northern 

Railway,  men  were  employed.  A  sHght  mistake  in 
.  the  direction  of  the  labour  of  these  men,  for 
even  a  few  days,  would  be  a  very  serious 
matter  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view.  This 
may  illustrate  to  us  the  great  responsibility 
which  attached  to  the  work  of  all  those  pei- 
sons  who  had  the  guidance  and  governance 
of  these  great  undertakings  :  for  it  is  a  loss 
to    the   State   as  well  as   to   the   individual 


THE  GREA  T  NORTHERN  RAIL  WAY.  1 2  7 

employers  of  labour,  when  labour  is  in  any    chap. 

way  misplaced  or  misdirected.  "      '      ' 

Those   who  were  interested  in  the  Great  Presenta- 
tion of  the 
Northern  Railway  and  Mr.   Brassey's  other  Brassey 

^  ^  Shield. 

contracts  acknowledged  his  services  in  a 
very  splendid  and  artistic  way.  They  col- 
lected nearly  2,000/.,  and  employed  the  pro- 
ceeds In  having  full-length  portraits  of  him- 
self and  Mrs.  Brassey  painted  by  the  late 
Mr.  Frederick  Newenham.  They  also  pre- 
sented him  with  a  silver-gilt  shield,  a  very 
exquisite  work  of  art,  which  was  exhibited 
In  the  Exhibition  of  185 1.  This  shield  was 
designed  by  Mr.  H.  P.  Burt,  and  has  in  the 
centre  the  Brassey  arms,  surrounded  by  por- 
traits, enamelled  in  gold,  of  twelve  of  the 
engineers  under  whose  direction  Mr.  Brassey 
had  executed  Important  works.  There  are 
also  twelve  views  of  the  principal  works  he 
had  executed  up  to  that  period  :  and  outside 
them  a  blue  ribbon  in  enamel,  bearing  the 
names  of  thirty-six  of  Mr.  Brassey's  agents. 
The  shield  measures  a  yard  In  diameter,  and 
was  presented  to  him  in  March,  185 1. 


L    128    ] 


CHAP. 
IX. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 
system  of 
accounts 


CHAPTER   IX. 

MR.  BR  ASSETS  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 

MR.  BRASSEY'S  financial  management 
of  such  great  undertakings  as  those 
which  have  already  been  described,  is  very 
interesting  and  instructive  from  its  exceeding 
simplicity.  Mr.  Tapp,  who  was  Mr.  Brassey's 
financial  secretary  and  confidential  adviser 
upon  all  monetary  matters,  has  furnished 
conclusive  evidence  upon  this  point. 

It  appears  that  Mr.  Brassey's  mode  of  keep- 
ing the  accounts  of  all  his  railway  undertak- 
ings was  purely  local  in  its  nature.  On  each 
contract  the  agent  was  responsible  to  Mr. 
Brassey  for  the  money  he  received  ;  and  Mr. 
Brassey  always  looked  to  that  agent  to  give 
him  information,  in  London,  as  to  the  way 
in  which  the  contract  was  being  carried  out 


MR,  BRASSEY'S    FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  1 29 

*  He  kept  no  regular  check  upon  it,  but  ^^^• 
simply  noted  that  so  much  money  had  been  '  ' 
sent  to  such  and  such  a  work.  Beyond  that 
no  one  knew  anything  of  the  account ;  he 
relied  upon  the  cashier  to  keep  the  accounts, 
and  he  was  supposed  to  audit  them  every 
month,  and  always  to  be  In  a  position 
to  give  Mr.  Brassey  any  information  he 
required.' 

In  contrasting  this  mode  of  keeping  ac-  compared 
counts  with  that  adopted  by  any  of  the  great  Govem- 
spending  departments  of  Government,  such  sy^^^-^"^- 
as  the  Admiralty,  It  Is  to  be  noticed  that  they 
have  not  only  a  local  account  of  the  same 
nature  as  that  which  was  furnished  to   Mr. 
Brassey,  but  also  a  general  account  for  the 
whole   service,    minutely    kept    In    London. 
Such  a  system  may  be  necessary  for  a  great 
Government  department ;  but  it  Is  one  which  Mr. 
it  would  have  been  very  unadvlsable  for  Mr.  opinion 

on  Mr. 

Brassey  to  adopt.     His  secretary,  however,  Brassey's 

system. 

admits  that  'It  requires  a  man  like  Mr. 
Brassey  to  carry  out  such  a  system  as  he 
adopted,  because  it  is  one  particularly  liable 
to   abuse.     He  was  very  fortunate   in    that 

K 


130  MR.  BKASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 

CHAP,  respect,  for  I  am  not  aware  that  any  one  of 
" — ^~~"  his  representatives  ever  deceived  him,  or 
robbed  him.  But  still,  other  people,  who  are 
not  possessed  of  the  same  discernment  of 
character  as  Mr.  Brassey,  might,  in  my 
opinion,  be  very  much  imposed  upon  by 
relying  implicitly  upon  one  person.' 

When  asked  whether  the  honest  service 
which  Mr.  Brassey  thus  received  from  his 
3.gents  was,  in  the  witness's  opinion,  a  proof 
of  the  general  honesty  of  mankind,  he  thus 
replied  : — '  Not  exactly  that.  I  think  it 
rather  more  shows  that  he  placed  so  much 
confidence  in  those  whom  he  employed,  and 
put  them  as  it  were  so  much  upon  their  honour, 
that  they  would  not  deceive  him,  and  that 
people  who  might  not  have  acted  uprightly 
with  other  people,  did  so  with  him  because 
they  felt  responsible  to  him,  and  also  a 
certain  amount  of  pride  in  being  confided 
in  by  him  to  such  an  extent,  that  they 
really  carried  on  the  business  as  if  it  was 
their  own.' 
Mr.  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  system  of  trust 

Brassey's 

trustful-      which    Mr.  Brassey  adopted  uniformly,  with 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  I3I 

respect  to  all  those  who  worked  under  him,     chap. 
was  such  as  would  be  generally  successful  if  "      ' 
carried  out  with  that  perfect  faith  and  com- 
pleteness  which    he   always    manifested    in 
these  transactions. 

There  were  few,  if  any,  of  the  great  under- 
takings in  which  Mr.  Brassey  embarked  that 
gave  so  much  trouble  in  respect  of  the  finan- 
cial arrangements  as  the  Spanish  railway 
from  Bilbao  to  Tudela.     The  Secretary  thus  Mr.Tapp's 

•^  monetary 

recounts  the  difficulties  which  they  had  to  difficulties 

•'  m  Spam. 

encounter  :—  ^  ^  ,8^8, 

The  great  difficulty  in  Spain  was  in  getting  money  to 
pay  the  men  for  doing  the  work — a  very  great  difficulty. 
The  Bank  was  not  in  the  habit  of  having  large  cheques 
drawn  upon  it  to  pay  money ;  for  nearly  all  the  merchants 
kept  their  cash  in  safes  in  their  offices,  and  it  was  a 
very  debased  kind  of  money,  coins  composed  of  half 
copper  and  half  silver,  and  very  much  defaced.  You 
had  to  take  a  good  many  of  them  on  faith.  I  had  to 
send  down  fifteen  days  before  the  pay  day  came  round, 
to  commence  getting  the  money  from  the  Bank,  obtaining 
perhaps  2,000/.  or  3,000/.  a  day.  It  was  brought  to  the 
office,  recounted  and  put  into  my  safe.  In  that  way 
I  accumulated  a  ton  or  a  ton  and  a  half  of  money,  every 
month  during  our  busy  season.  When  pay  week  came, 
I  used  to  send  a  carriage  or  a  large  coach,  drawn  by  four 
or  six  mules,  with  a  couple  of  civil  guards,  one  on  each 
K  2 


132 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL   MANAGEMENT. 


Influence 
of  rail- 
ways over 
money 
matters. 


The 

Basques 
learn  the 
use  of 
paper 
money. 


side,  together  with  one  of  the  clerks  from  the  office,  a  man 
to  drive,  and  another  a  sort  of  stable  man,  who  went  to 
help  them  out  of  their  difficulty  in  case  the  mules  gave 
any  trouble  up  the  hilly 'country.  It  was  quite  an  operation 
to  get  this  money  out.  I  was  at  the  office  at  six  o'clock, 
and  I  was  always  in  a  state  of  anxiety  until  I  knew  that 
the  money  had  arrived  safely  at  the  end  of  the  journey. 
More  than  once  the  conveyance  broke  down  in  the 
mountains.  On  one  occasion  the  axle  of  our  carriage 
broke  in  half  from  the  weight  of  the  money,  and  I  had 
to  send  off  two  omnibuses  to  relieve  them  :  I  had  the 
load  divided,  and  sent  one  to  one  section  of  the  line, 
and  one  to  the  other. 

Q.  Was  any  attempt  made  to  rob  the  carriage  ? 

A.  Never  :  we  always  sent  a  clerk  armed  with  a  re- 
volver as  the  principal  guard.  We  heard  once  of  a  con- 
spiracy to  rob  us ;  but,  to  avoid  that,  we  went  by  another 
road.  We  were  told  that  some  men  had  been  seen 
loitering  about  the  mountain  the  night  before. 

The  payment  of  wages  to  the  men  em- 
ployed on  this  Spanish  railway  affords  a  good 
illustration  of  the  service  that  was  done,  in 
an  indirect  manner,  to  many  countries  where 
British  enterprise  was  introducing  the  rail- 
way system.  On  this  occasion  the  Basques 
were  taught  the  use  of  paper  money.  Mr. 
Brassey's  Secretary,  whose  difficulties  in 
procuring  and  distributing  a  metallic  cur- 
rency have  already  been  seen  from  his  own 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  I  33 

description,   naturally  endeavoured  to   make     chap. 

1a.. 

use  of  the  paper  money  as  more  portable  '      '      ' 
and  less  difficult  to  count.     This  was  done 
by  using  the  notes  of  the  Bank  of  Bilbao  for 
100  reals}  equal  in  value  to  about  i/.     It  may  Effects 
be   noticed,  by  the  way,  that  the  Bank  in-  Biiboa 
creased  its  profits  to  such  an  extent,  that  the 
shares  were  doubled  in  price  while  Mr.  Bras- 
sey  was  working  in  that  country. 

Inevitably,  however,  amid  such  a  conser- 


*  Mr.  Tapp  remarks,  '  That  the  100-real  gold  piece  is 
worth  exactly  250  pence,  or  1,000  farthings  ;  and  if  ever 
a  decimal  currency  should  be  adopted  in  England,  it 
would  be  the  most  convenient  form  for  the  unit  of  value, 
as  it  would  not  disturb  the  relative  values  of  the  lower 
denomination  of  coins  used  by  the  poor,  a  great  difficulty 
in  frami7ig  any  new  system  of  currency. 

'  It  would  also  represent  exactly  five  dollars,  and  so  pass 
without  difficulty  in  the  United  States,  South  America, 
Portugal,  and  China,  and  to  some  extent  in  India  and 
the  Indian  Archipelago.  It  would  represent  twelve  and 
a  half  Austrian  silver  florins,  and  pass  in  France,  Belgium, 
and  Italy  as  twenty-six  francs. 

'  I  cannot  understand  how,  in  the  many  systems  of 
uniform  currency  advocated  by  writers  on  finance,  it  has 
been  lost  sight  of;  the  twenty-five  franc  piece,  which 
public  opinion  seems  drifting  towards,  will  prove  most 
inconvenient  for  division  into  small  sums  in  countries 
inhabited  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  by  whom  the  greatest 
part  of  the  trade  of  the  world  is  carried  on.' 


134  MR.  BRASSEV\S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 

CHAP,    vatlve    people    as    the    Basques,    there   was 
" — '      '   some  difficulty  at  first  in  getting  this  paper 
currency  into  circulation. 

When  they  came  to  receive  an  account,  and  I  gave 
them  so  many  hundred  reals  in  notes,  and  the  balance  in 
silver ;  they  would  take  up  the  silver,  and  stand  waiting 
and  say,  '  This  is  not  the  amount  of  my  account.'  I  said, 
*  You  have  not  taken  up  the  notes.*  '  What  are  these — 
where  am  I  to  get  the  money  for  them?'  'Go  to  the 
Bank,  and  you  will  get  the  money.'  Then  they  went  im- 
mediately to  the  Bank  and  changed  the  notes — the  first 
time  hesitatingly,  but  after  the  second  and  third  times, 
finding  that  they  were  always  paid,  they  took  them  home, 
and  kept  them  till  the  next  market-day. 

During  Mr.  Brassey's  occupation  of  that 
part  of  the  country,  for  occupation  it  may 
be  called,  seeing  that  he  and  his  partners  had 
10,000  men  in  their  employment,  he  succeeded 
in  obtaining  from  Madrid  a  supply  of  loo-real 
pieces,  which  were  very  difficult  to  obtain  at 
Bilbao.  There  is  one  circumstance  mentioned 
by  this  financial  agent,  which  gives  a  good 
insight  into  the  manner  in  which  credit  was 
attached  to  Mr.  Brassey's  name.  By  some 
Credit  unavoidable  accident  Mr.  Tapp  was  once  left 
To  Mr.        at    Chambery,    during    the    construction    of 

Brassey's  ,  .,  .  , 

name.        another    railway,    without    any   arrangement 


MR,  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  1 35 

having  been  made  for  paying  the  men ;  no    chap. 
authority    had    been   given   to    him    to    sign  "      ^ 
cheques,    and    the    person    who    could    sign 
them  was  absent.     He  says: — 

I  went  to  the  Bank,  and  told  them  how  I  was  left,  and 
that  I  had  a  large  '  Pay '  to  make,  and  asked  them  to  let 
me  have  the  money  on  my  own  cheque,  and  I  was 
allowed  to  draw  as  much  as  28,000/.  on  one  occasion. 

The  natural  financial  difficulties  of  con- 
structing a  railway  in  Spain  were  added  to 
by  the  strange  kind  of  people  Mr.  Brassey's 
agents  were  obliged  to  employ.     One  of  the  a  Cariist 

chief  as  a 

sub-contractors   was    a   certain  Cariist   chief  sub-con- 
tractor. 
whom   the  Government  dared  not  arrest  on 

account   of  his  great  influence.      Mr.   Tapp 

thus  relates  the  Cariist  chief's  mode  of  settling 

a  financial  dispute  : — 

When  he  got  into  difficulties  Afr.  Small,  the  district 
agent,  offered  him  the  amount  which  was  due  to  him 
according  to  his  measured  work.  He  had  over  100  men 
to  pay,  and  Mr.  Small  offered  him  the  money  that  was 
coming  to  him,  according  to  the  measurement,  but  he 
would  not  have  it,  nor  would  he  let  the  agent  pay  the 
men.  He  said  he  would  have  the  money  he  demanded ; 
and  he  brought  all  his  men  into  the  town  of  Orduna,  and 
the  men  regularly  bivouacked  round  Mr.  Small's  Office : 
— they  slept  in  the  streets,  and  stayed  there  all  night,  and 


136  AIR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 

would  not  let  Mr.  Small  come  out  pf  the  Office  till  he 
had  paid  them  the  money.  He  attempted  to  get  on  his 
horse  to  go  out — his  horses  were  kept  m  the  house  (that 
is  the  practice  in  the  houses  of  Spain) ;  but  when  he  rode 
out,  they  pulled  him  off  his  horse  and  pushed  him  back, 
and  said  that  he  should  not  go  until  he  had  paid  them 
the  money.  He  passed  the  night  in  terror,  with  loaded 
pistols  and  guns,  expecting  that  he  and  his  family  would 
be  massacred  every  minute,  but  he  contrived  eventually 
to  send  his  staff-holder  to  Bilbao  on  horseback.  The 
man  galloped  all  the  way  to  Bilbao,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  went  to  Mr.  Bartlett  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  and  told  him  what  had  happened.  Mr. 
Bartlett  immediately  got  up  and  went  to  the  military 
Governor  of  the  town,  who  immediately  sent  a  detach- 
ment up  to  the  place  to  disperse  the  men.  This  Carlist 
threatened  that  if  Mr.  Small  did  not  pay  the  money,  he 
v/ould  kill  every  person  in  the  house.  When  he  was 
asked,  'Would  you  kill  a  man  for  that?'  he  replied, 
'Yes,  like  a  fly,'^  and  this  coming  from  such  a  man  who, 
as  I  was  told,  had  already  killed  fourteen  men  with  his 
own  hand,  was  rather  alarming. 

Financial         It  Is  iiot  surpHsing  to  find  that  Mr.  Brassey 

loss  on  the 

Bilbao        and    his    partners    lost    a  very  large  amount 

Railway, 

upon  the  Bilbao  Railway.  This  loss,  how- 
ever, must  not  altogether  be  attributed  to 
the  difficulty  of  dealing  with  the  Spanish 
people.      It  must  be  confessed  that  the  esti- 

^  '  Como  una  mosca.' 


MR.   BRASS EY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  1 37 


mates,  in  this  instance,  were  wrong-ly  framed,     chap. 
'  '  ^  ^  IX. 


It  was  supposed  that  the  material  to  be  dealt 
with  was  half  earth,  and  half  rock  ;  but  instead  from 
of  that  it  turned  out  to  be  mostly  hard  rock,  of  rock, 
Then  again  the  climate  is  a  very  wet  one.  mate, 

and  fete 

Moreover,  not  only  wet  days,  but  fete  days  days. 
ought  to  have  been  allowed  for.     The  con- 
sequence was,  that  Mr.  Brassey's  people  were 
not  able  to  work  more  than  200  days  out  of 
the  365  in  the  year. 

The  general  results  of  this  witness's  evi- 
dence are  peculiarly  interesting  on  account 
of  the  light  they  throw  upon  Mr.  Brassey's 
character.  It  was  only  after  the  Secretary's 
return  from  Spain  that  Mr.  Brassey  gave 
him  orders  to  make  up  a  list  of  all  his  pro- 
perty. The  Secretary  had  to  obtain  his 
information  from  other  people,  such  as  the 
Secretaries  of  the  Companies  in  which  Mr. 
Brassey  held  shares. 

'  This  took  a  long  time  to  complete,  so 
much  so,  that  after  I  thought  it  was  com- 
pleted, in  the  next  two  years  amounts  kept 
cropping  up,  and  I  found,  from  some  corre- 
spondence,  that  there  was  money   that   we 


138 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 


CHAP. 
IX. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 
ignorance 
of  his 
resources. 


knew  nothing  about,  but  we  ultimately  got 
It  put  Into  books  In  a  regular  way,  and 
by  degrees  got  the  account  correct  and 
perfect.' 

This  Ignorance  of  his  resources  may  be 
thought  to  Indicate  some  carelessness  on  Mr. 
Brassey's  part ;  but  the  truth  Is,  that  he  was 
a  man  very  Indifferent  to  the  possession  of 
money.  His  mind  was  always  occupied  In 
getting  the  work  through  that  he  had  under 
taken,  and  there  was  a  certain  apparent  care- 
lessness about  his  own  private  affairs  which 
only  gives  us  a  higher  notion  of  the  un- 
selfishness of  the  man.  It  was  not  con- 
nected with  any  deficiency  of  financial  ability. 
Mr.  Brassey  knew  thoroughly  well  a  good 
investment  from  a  bad  one  ;  but  he  never 
seemed  to  take  the  trouble  to  think  about 
investments.  As  his  Secretary  observes,  '  I 
remember  urging  him  very  much  to  sell 
some  shares  when  they  were  at  a  large  pre- 
mium, but  he  would  not  do  It.  He  seemed 
to  consider  It  a  thing  unworthy  to  be  at- 
tended to,  as  If  he  thought  some  one  else 
would   lose   by   It,    and    that   he   would    be 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT,  T39 


taking  the  profit  away  from  some  one  else  ;    chap. 

IX. 


or  that,  having  gone  into  the  thing  from  its 
origin,  and  being  to  some  extent  responsible 
for  its  initiation,  he  ought  to  see  it  through, 
without  getting  out  of  it  over  some  one  else's 
shoulders.  I  do  not  know  exactly  why,  but 
I  never  could  get  him  to  sell  any  of  the 
shares  which  he  subscribed  for  previous  to 
the  panic  of  1866. 

*  I  believe  he  felt  that  he  had  been  one 
of  the  promoters,  and  if  he  got  out  of  it, 
others  might  get  out,  and  he  would  not 
abandon  a  ship  in  difficulties.' 

We  learn  from  this  witness  the  way  in 
which  Mr.  Brassey  remunerated  his  agents,  ^sent 
*  It  was  a  system  of  paying  sometimes  by 
salaries  and  sometimes  by  a  percentage  on 
profits.  The  salaries  which  Mr.  Brassey  gave 
were  decidedly  not  large  ;  but  he  assigned  to 
his  principal  agents  a  percentage  upon  the 
profits  of  the  undertaking.  In  some  instances 
these  agents  received  cheques  varying  from 
3,000/.  to  16,000/.  Indeed,  several  of  those 
gentlemen  who  served  under  him  succeeded 
in  realizing  fortunes.* 


Remune- 
ration of 
s. 


140  MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT. 

CHAP.         This  witness,  like  many  others,  speaks  of 

^ — ' — '  the  exceeding  cheerfulness  of  his  employer, 

Cheerful-  especially  when  he  was   tried  by  difhculties 

Brassey  and  disasters  in  the  work,  and  by  considerable 

over 

financial      pecuniary  losses.      He  says  : — 

losses. 

*  I  remember  Mr.  Bartlett,  who  had  known 
Mr.  Brassey  as  a  younger  man  than  I  did, 
telling  me  that  Mr.  Brassey  never  appeared 
so  happy  as  when  he  had  lost  20,000/. 
Whether  it  was  that  he  made  an  effort  at 
cheerfulness  to  throw  it  off  his  mind,  I  cannot 
say ;  but  Mr.  Bartlett  said  that  he  used  to 
rub  his  hands,  and  that  anyone  would  have 
supposed  that  he  was  delighted  rather  than 
otherwise.  I  remember,  even  at  the  time  of 
the  panic,  when  things  were  at  the  worst, 
Mr.  Brassey  saying  one  night,  at  the  West- 
minster Palace  Hotel,  '  Never  mind,  we  must 
be  content  with  a  little  less ;  that  is  all.' 
That  was  when  he  supposed  he  had  lost  a 
million  of  money.' 

During  the  construction  of  the  Bilbao 
line,  shortly  before  the  proposed  opening,  it 
set  in  to  rain  in  such  an  exceptional  manner 
that    some   of    the   works   were    destroyed. 


MR.  BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT.  I4I 

The  agent  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Brassey  to  ^^^^• 
come  immediately,  as  a  certain  bridge  had  ^~^ 
been  washed  down.  About  three  hours 
afterwards  another  telegram  was  sent,  stating 
that  a  large  bank  was  washed  away ;  and, 
next  morning,  another,  stating  the  rain  con- 
tinued, and  more  damage  had  been  done. 
Mr.  Brassey,  turning  to  a  friend,  said,  laugh- 
ingly :  *  I  think  I  had  better  wait  until  I  hear 
that  the  rain  has  ceased,  so  that  when  I  do 
go,  I  may  see  what  i^'left  of  the  works,  and 
estimate  all  the  disasters  at  once,  and  so  save 
a  second  journey/ 

No  doubt  Mr.  Brassey  felt  these  great 
losses  that  occasionally  came  upon  him  much 
as  other  men  do  ;  but  he  had  an  excellent 
way  of  bearing  them,  and,  like  a  great  general, 
never,  if  possible,  gave  way  to  despondency 
in  the  presence  of  his  officers. 

This  witness  concludes  his  evidence  in 
these  words  : — 

'  As  to  mere  money-grubbing,  he  had  not 
any  of  that  in  his  composition,  but  he  knew 
the  value  of  money  as  well  as  anyone,  and 
how  far  a  pound  would  go ;  but  he  had  no 


142  MR.    BRASSEY'S  FINANCIAL    MANAGEMENT, 


^?^^'    greediness   to   acquire   wealth,    and  he   was 

■     '      '  always  willing  to  give  away  a  portion  of  his 

profits   to   anyone  who  was  instrumental  in 

making    them,    and    that    to    a    remarkable 

extent. 


:4> 


[     143     ] 


CHAPTER  X. 

FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 
(A.D.  1866.) 

HITHERTO  the  narrative  of  Mr. 
Brassey's  labours  has  chiefly  been 
one  of  unexampled  success,  and  there  has 
been  very  little  in  the  way  of  adversity  to 
vary  the  narrative.  The  falling  of  a  viaduct 
— earthwork  turning  out  to  be  of  a  much 
more  difficult  kind  than  was  expected — a 
scarcity  of  labour,  and  the  like,  were  only 
momentary  evils,  scarcely  sufficient  to  chequer 
the  continuous  success. 

But  in  the  year  1866,  Mr.  Brassey  had  to 
encounter  an  amount  of  financial  difficulty 
and  trouble  which  was  sufficient  to  over- 
whelm almost  any  man,  and  which,  though 
he  bore  the  weight  of  it  with  great  fortitude, 


CHAP 
X. 


144  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 

ci^AP.    ha.d,   in  the  opinion  of  some  of  those  who 
"~~^^      '  knew  him  best,  a  considerable  effect  upon  his 

health  and  life. 
Fmanciai  When  we  come  to  know  the  secret  history 
cuities.  q£  ^j^y  great  firm,  or  of  any  man  whose 
financial  enterprises  have  been  very  large 
and  extensive,  we  almost  always  find  that 
there  has  been  a  period  of  great  difficulty 
and  great  peril — in  short,  a  financial  crisis. 
It  is  not  altogether  unpleasing  to  men  of 
smaller  means,  when  contemplating  their  own 
difficulties,  to  find  that  their  great  compeers 
have  had  to  struggle  through  similar  diffi- 
culties, and  to  overcome  similar  dangers  to 
those  which  they  themselves  have  had  to 
encounter.  The  private  crisis,  too,  generally 
comes  at  a  time  of  public  crisis — perhaps  of 
panic — and  when  ordinary  financial  resources 
are  for  the  moment  unavailable. 
DHfi-  Difficulties    have    an    ingenious    way    of 

cuities  in  .  -  .- 

1866.  commg  together,  as  if  on  set  purpose,  and  by 
prearrangement  amongst  themselves,  at  the 
most  inopportune  conjuncture.  We  see  this 
in  the  lives  of  great  statesmen,  and  great 
generals,  as  well  as  in  the  lives  of  those  who 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA,  209 

amount     of    material    used    in     1856,    was,     chap. 

^  XV. 

Masonry,  829,120    cubic  feet;    puddle    clay,  ^ ■ — ' 

13,223  cubic  yards;    timber,    344>45o    cubic  i^edTlhe 

~  construc- 

teet.  tion  of  the 

'  In  June  1858,  it  was  decided  that  a  great  1856.^''' 

effort  should  be  made  to  complete  the  bridge  ^^^  ^^^^ 

by  the  end  of  1859.     Every  individual  con-  ^gn^eT' 

cerned  put  forth  his   utmost  exertions,   and 

on  August  12,  1859,  the   foundation-stone  of  ^^  ,8^^^ 

the  last  pier  of  the  Victoria  Bridge  was  laid, 

in  the  presence  of  some  few  spectators  ;  and  it 

is  interesting  to  note  that  In  just  six  weeks  and 

two  days  from  the  date  of  commencing  that 

pier,  108,000  cubic  feet  of  masonry  were  laid, 

the  whole  being  completed  by  September  26,  comple- 
tion of  the 
1859.  work. 

'  It  is  impossible  to  describe  all  the  diffi- 
culties experienced  In  the  prosecution  of  the 
works :  such  as  the  '  shoving '  of  the  Ice  at  the 
commencement,  and  at  the  breaking  up  of  the 
frosts ;  from  the  collision  between  floating 
rafts  of  vast  dimensions,  in  some  cases  250 
feet  In  length,  and  the  temporary  staging, 
erected  for  the  purpose  of  putting  together 
the     tubes ;    and    from    Innumerable    other 


2IO  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 


CHAP,     causes.     The  whole  of  the  iron  work  for  the 

XV. 

— "     '    tubes  was  prepared  at  the  Canada  Works, 


The  tubes. 


Birkenhead — an  estabHshment  erected  by- 
Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts,  expressly 
for  the  manufacture  of  the  bridge  work  and 
rolling-  stock  for  their  Canadian  contracts. 
At  these  works  every  plate  was  finished 
ready  to  be  fitted  into  its  proper  place ;  and 
I  must  draw  attention  to  the  extraordinary 
perfection  obliged  to  be  attained  in  the  pre- 
paration of  this  ironwork.  I  am  informed 
that  in  the  centre  tube,  consisting  of  no  less 
than  10,309  pieces,  in  which  nearly  half  a 
million  of  holes  were  punched,  not  one  plate 
required  alteration,  neither  was  there  a  hole 
punched  wrong !  The  importance  of  this 
accuracy  may  be  estimated,  on  considering 
that,  had  any  portion  been  carelessly  prepared 
or  even  wrongly  marked,  a  failure  might  have 
been  the  result,  involving  the  delay  of  a  year 
in  opening  the  bridge,  and  consequently,  a 
loss  of  many  thousands  of  pounds.  Great 
credit  is  therefore  due  to  Mr.  George  Har- 
rison, the  manager  of  the  Birkenhead  Works, 
and  to  his   able    assistants,    Mr.   Alexander 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA,  211 


and  Mr.  Heap,  for  the  successful  completion     chap. 
of  their  share  of  the  task.  "      '      ' 

*  The  folio  wins:  details  and  quantities  of  the  Descrip- 

^  ?  .  .    '  tion  of  the 

materials     used     at     the    Victoria     Bridgfe,  Victoria 

^        Bridge. 

together  with  the  numbers  of  the  men  and 
horses  employed,  may  be  found  interesting  : — 

Total  length  of  the  tubes,  6,512  feet 

Weight  of  iron  in  the  tubes,  9,044  tons. 

Number  of  rivets  in  the  tubes,  1,540,000. 

Number  of  spans,  25  ;  viz.  24  from  242  to  247  feet 
each,  one  330  feet. 

Quantity  of  masonry  in  piers  and  abutments,  2,713,095 
cubic  feet. 

Quantity  of  timber  in  temporary  works,  2,280,000  cubic 
feet. 

The  force  employed  in  construction  included  6  steam 
boats,  and  75  barges,  representing  together  12,000  tons, 
and  450  horse  power. 

3,040  men. 

144  horses. 

4  locomotive  engines. 

'At  length,  all  difficulties  having  been 
successfully  overcome,  the  bridge,  of  which 
the  first  stone  was  laid  on  July  20,  1854,  was 
completed,  as  had  been  intended,  in  1859. 

*  The  bridge  was  first  opened  for  the  passage  Opening 

.  of  the 

of  trams  on  December  19,  1859,  and  the  formal  bridge. 
inauguration   by    His  Royal    Highness    the 
p  2 


212  THE   GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP.     Prince  of  Wales,  took  place  in  the  following 
'      '      '  year. 
Devotion         '  The  devotlon  and  energy   of  the   large 

and  energy 

of  the  men.  numbers  of  workmen  employed  can  hardly 
be  praised  too  highly.  Once  brought  into 
proper  discipline,  they  worked  as  we  alone 
can  work  against  difficulties.  They  have 
left  behind  them  in  Canada  an  imperishable 
monument  of  British  skill,  pluck,  science, 
and  perseverance  in  this  bridge,  which  they 
not  only  designed,  but  constructed.' 

After  warmly  commending  the  staff  of 
superintendents  by  whom  he  was  assisted  in 
constructing  the  works,  and  the  workmen 
who  laboured  under  their  directions,  Mr. 
Hodges  observes  that  the  successful  accom- 
plishment of  his  great  task  was  primarily  due 
to  the  spirit  and  inspiration  he  derived  from 
the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  em- 
ployers. '  Looking  back,'  he  says,  '  at  all  the 
various  difficulties,  practical  and  financial, 
by  which  the  work  was  from  to  time  em- 
barrassed, it  scarcely  admits  of  a  doubt  that, 
in  the  hands  of  other  and  less  energetic  and 
persevering  contractors  than    Messrs.    Peto, 


THE   GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA,  213 


Brassey,    and    Betts,    it    would    not    have     chap. 


reached  the  successful  issue  to  which  it  has  '- 
been  brought.  Amid  every  discouragement 
they  stood  stoutly  to  their  task  ;  and  when  the 
hearts  of  all  around  them  seemed  to  fail, 
their  encouragement,  enterprise,  and  assuring 
confidence,  kept  everything  going.'  As  Mr. 
Robert  Stephenson  enunciated,  in  the  course 
of  an  address  on  the  subject  of  the  bridge  at 
a  dinner  given  to  him  in  1853  by  the  en- 
gineering profession  of  Canada,  at  Toronto, 
*  the  contractors  left  even  the  engineers 
themselves  little  more  than  the  poetry  of 
engineering.' 


[     214    ] 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE  CRIMEAN  RAILWAY;  VICTORIA  DOCKS; 
NORTHERN  MID-LE  VEL  SE IV ER  ;  EAST  L OND ON 
RAILWAY,   DANISH  RAILWAYS,  ^c. 

(a.d.  1852-65.) 

CHAP.     O  OME  of  the  minor  works  which  occupied 

' — r-^    vI3      Mr.    Brassey's   attention    during    that 

very  busy  period  of  his  Hfe,   from    1852  to 

1865,  deserve  especial  notice.     When  I  say 

*  minor  works,'  I  only  mean  that  they  were 

not  works  of  such  length  and  magnitude  as 

the    Great    Northern    line,    or    the    Grand 

Trunk  Railway  of  Canada.  Almost  every  one 

of  these  minor  works,  however,  possesses  a 

peculiar  interest  of  its  own,  and  is  therefore 

worth  recording. 

I'he  The  first  of  them,  and  not  the  least  remark- 

RaS'way.     able;  is  the  Crimean  Railway.     It  is  not  only 

noticeable  as  being  one  of  the  greatest  feats 


CRIMEAN  RAILWAY.  215 


in  railway  making:  that  has  ever  been  known,     chap. 

.     .                                 xvi. 
but  also  as  showing  what  is  likely  to  be  done  * • — 

in  times  of  great  danger  for  this  country 
by  those  who  are  called  the  'captains  of 
industry.'  The  action  of  Government  may 
be  found  on  sudden  emergencies  to  be  rather 
stiff  and  constrained.  That  unwise  habit  of 
distrust,  which  seems  to  be  creeping  into  the 
management  of  Government  departments, 
may  exercise  large  sway.  The  individual 
action  of  those  departments  will  thereby  have 
been  crippled,  and  the  fear  of  incurring  re- 
sponsibility increased.  The  result  of  neglect- 
ing the  advantage  of  personal  selection  in 
the  choice  of  agents,  may,  at  a  time  of 
crisis,  be  found  to  be  as  injurious  as  the 
opponents  of  the  present  system  imagine 
it    will  be.     An   economy,  intense    in  small  ^^^^^ 

^  economy, 

matters,  and  slack  in  great  concerns,  may 
have  been  adopted  by  the  nation,  and  by 
that  time  have  done  its  worst.  Still,  however, 
as  long  as  we  have  men  in  the  position  of  Mr. 
Brassey,  and  partaking  of  his  nature,  we  shall 
have  some  persons  who  may,  on  a  sudden 
emergency,  come  to  the  aid  of  Government, 


2  1 6  CRIMEAN  RAIL  WA  V. 


CHAP,     and  play  for  a  time  its  part,  until  it  recovers 
'      '      '   itself,  and  is  refitted  for  vigorous  action. 
Sir  I  prefer  to  give  in  Sir  Morton  Peto's  own 

Morton 

Peto's         words,  addressed  to  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey,  the 

account  of 

the  account  of  what  was   done  by  himself,  Mr. 

under-  "^ 

taking.  Brassey,  and  Mr.  Betts,  in  this  remarkable 
undertaking.  Sir  Morton  says,  '  When  I 
undertook  this  work  in  1854,  at  the  request 
of  the  late  Duke  of  Newcastle,  on  the  part 
of  the  Government,  before  doing  so  I  took 
your  father's  advice,  and  he  strongly  urged 
it  on  me  as  a  public  duty,  and  promised  me 
his  aid  in  every  possible  way,  and  the  whole 
was  carried  out  at  cost  price,  without  any 
profit  being  charged. 

*  The  organization  of  the  detail  and  trans- 
port— a  most  laborious  duty — was  undertaken 
by    my    late     lamented    brother-in-law    and 

.partner,  Mr.  Betts,  the  general  direction   and 
administration  resting  with  myself. 

*  We  saw  your  father  daily  at  this  time. 
He  advised  on  all  the  points,  and  helped  by 
every  means  in  his  power,  and  I  should  not 
do  his  and  Mr.  Betts'  memory  justice,  if  I 
did  not  state  that  to  them  fully  as  much  as,  if 


CRIMEAN  RAILWAY,  217 


not  more  than  to  myself,  is  the  credit  of  the     ^^^^• 
execution  of  the  work  really  due.  ^      ' 

*  Our  exertions  were    seconded   by  every  Railway 

stores 

railway  company — the  directors  opening  their  opened 
stores  for  our  free  use  at  cost  price.  p'^^'^^- 

*  We  succeeded  in  sending  out  twenty-three 
large  steamers  with  men,  horses,  railway 
engines,  commissariat  and  other  stores,  in  a 
very  short  space  of  time,  and  within  the  first 
twelve  days  of  the  arrival  of  the  first  convoy 
we  laid  seven  miles  of  line ;  and  the  soldiers 
handing  shot  and  shell  to  each  other  were 
superseded  to  that  extent  in  that  time ;  and 
before  the  completion  of  the  siege  thirty-nine 
and  a  quarter  miles  of  line  were  laid  to  every 
part  of  the  front,  and  seventeen  locomotives 
engaged  in  the  conveyance  of  stores,  &c.  &c. 
I  received  a  letter  from  Field-Marshal 
Burgoyne,  then  General  Burgoyne,  on  his 
return  from  the  command  of  the  Enofineerine 
Staff,  stating  it  was  impossible  to  overrate 
the  services  rendered  by  the  railway,  or  its 
effect  in  shortening  the  time  of  the  siege  and 
alleviating  the  fatigues  and  sufferings  of  the 
troops. 


2l8  VICTORIA  DOCKS. 


CHAP.  i  \  si^all  not  do  right  If  I  do  not  refer  to  the 
"  '  '  admirable  services  of  Mr.  Beattie,  our  chief 
Beattie's  agent,  who  for  three  weeks  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  works  never  retired  one 
nieht  to  rest,  and  who  died  In  four  weeks 
after  his  return  to  England,  from  the 
effects  of  his  devotion  to  duty  in  his  engage- 
ments in  the  Crimea.' 


T^^  .  The    next   work    I    shall    mention    is   the 

Victoria 

Docks :  Victoria  Docks,  London,  for  the  making  of 
which  Messrs.  Brassey,  Peto,  and  Betts  con- 
tracted. *  These  were  all  carried  out,'  Sir 
M.  Peto  says,  '  by  Mr.  W.  Hartland  for  the 
firm,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  G.  P.  Bidder, 
and  were  opened  to  the  public  in  1857. 
They  are  entered  from  the  Thames,  imme- 
diately below  Blackwall,  by  a  lock,  having 
a  depth  of  water  on  the  cill  of  twenty-six 
feet  at  Trinity  high  water.  They  have  a 
water  area  of  over  a  hundred  acres,  divided 
by  eighty-feet  gates  Into  a  tidal  basin  of 
about  twenty  acres,  and  a  wet  dock  of 
about  eighty  acres.  They  have  vaults  for 
wines,    and    warehouses    for    general    mer- 


VICTORIA  DOCKS,  219 


chandise,  to  the  extent  of  about  twenty-five     chap. 

,    ^  XVI. 

acres  of  floor.  ''■    ' 


*  The  City  warehouses  for  wines  and 
general  goods  are  in  Fenchurch  Street,  and 
were  constructed  with  a  floor  area  of  about 
five  acres.  They  are  in  direct  railway 
communication  with  the  Docks.  All  the 
warehouses,  quays,  dock  gates,  &c.,  are 
supplied  with,  and  worked  by  Sir  William 
Armstrong's  hydraulic  machinery,  and  are 
connected  with  all  the  principal  railways  of 
the  kingdom. 

*  The  same  firm  constructed  the  Thames  Thames 
Graving  Docks  (Edwin  Clark's  patent),  with  Docks, 
an  entrance  from  the  wet  dock  of  the  Victoria 
Dock,  having  a  water  area  of  about  fifteen 
acres,  and  hydraulic  machinery  and  lifts  for 
docking  and  under-docking  vessels  of  all 
capacities.' 


Then  there  was  the  Northern  Mid- Level  Mid- 
Sewer,  which  Mr..  Brassey  contracted  with  the  Sewer: 

London. 

Metropolitan  Board  of  Works  to  make.  This, 
though  only  twelve  miles  in  length,  was  a 
work  of  great  magnitude  and  difficulty,  and 


220  NORTHERN  MID-LEVEL  SEWER. 

CHAP,  occupied  nearly  three  years  in  construction. 
"  '  '  The  Hne  of  sewer  runs  from  Kensal  Green, 
passing  under  the  Bayswater  Road,  Oxford 
Street,  and  Clerkenwell,  to  the  River  Lea. 
Mr.  Brassey  took  the  greatest  interest  in  this 
undertaking,  which  is,  by  some  persons,  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  difficult  works  that 
have  ever  been  done  in  this  country.  It  was 
necessary  to  tunnel  under  houses  and  streets, 
and  also  to  cross  the  Metropolitan  Railway 
with  a  very  large  tube.  This  work  is  notice- 
able because,  for  the  first  time,  I  believe, 
cranes  worked  by  steam  were  generally  em- 
steam  ployed  in  sewers  for  hoisting  the  earth  from 
excavations  direct  into  the  carts  in  which  it 
was  to  be  removed.  The  method  hitherto 
adopted  had  been  that  of  lifting  the  earth  from 
stage  to  stage  by  manual  labour.  The  adoption 
of  the  new  system  enabled  the  contractors  to 
dispense  with  a  great  deal  of  this  manual 
labour,  which  is  always  found  to  be  more 
costly  in  London  than  elsewhere,  and  it  also 
accelerated  the  execution  of  the  works. 

Another  work  of  small  extent,  but  of  great 


cranes. 


EAST  LONDON  RAILWAY.  221 


labour  and  difficulty,  was  the  East  London     chap. 
Railway,  running  from  New  Cross,  through  '      '     " 
the  Thames  Tunnel,  to  Wapping.    The  diffi-  London 
culty  in  this  construction  was  caused  by  the     ^^  ^^^' 
depth  which  had  to  be  attained  In  order  to 
arrive  at  the  Tunnel.     A  tunneled  approach 
was  rendered  unavoidable  by  the  nature  of  the 
ground.      Until  the  main  drainage  was  carried 
into  effect,  the  water  used  to  rise  up  to  the 
surface  in  great  quantities.     This  railway  was 
also  a  work  in  which  Mr.  Brassey  took  a  very 
great  interest.     Indeed,  wherever  there  was 
a  difficulty  in  any  of  his  works,  there  he  was 
sure  to  be  found.     His  brother-in-law,   Mr. 
Henry   Harrison,   who  was   engaged   In  the 

Mr 

construction  of  this   railway,   speaks  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
Brassey's  fearlessness    when   examining  the  ness. 
works.   '  He  would  walk  without  the  slightest 
misgiving  along  a  plank  only  twelve  inches 
wide,  over  a  chasm  fifty  feet  deep. ' 

Among  the   minor  enterprises,   though  It 
was  an  enterprise  of  no  light  kind,  the  con- 
struction   of  railways    In   Denmark  must  be  Railways. 
mentioned.     Five  hundred  miles  of  railway 


2  22  RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 

were  made  by  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and 
Betts  In  Denmark,  extending  from  Rends- 
burg  and  Tonning  to  Aalborg  in  Jutland, 
with  branches  across  the  island  of  Funen, 
and  across  different  parts  of  Schleswig. 
This  system  of  railways  also  crosses  Jutland 
to  the  town  of  Holstebro. 
Slowness  These  Danish  railways  were  constructed 
construe-     slowly,  for  the  contractors  were  only  allowed 

tion  of 

the  by  the  Government  to  do  a  certain  amount 

Danish 

lines.  of  work  annually — averaging  in  value  gene- 
rally from  200,000/.  to  300,000/.  It  con- 
sequently took  ten  years  to  complete  this 
system  of  railways.  The  work  was  mainly 
executed  by  Danes,  for  though  English 
sub-contractors  were  at  first  taken  out  to 
Denmark,  they  were  soon  got  rid  of,  as  it 
was  found  that  the  cheapness  of  rye  whisky, 
namely,  about  one  shilling  a  gallon,  was  too 
great  a  temptation  for  them,  and  destroyed 
their  powers  of  working. 

The  account  that  Mr.  Rowan  (the  agent 
of  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts)  gives  of 
the  powers  and  habits  of  the  Danes  of  all 
classes  who  were  employed  in  these  railways, 


RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 


is  very  interesting,  and  such,  in  fact,  as  ren-     chap. 

dered  it  desirable  not  to  omit  the  mention  of  ' ■ — ' 

these  works  in  Denmark,  which  otherwise 
were  not  of  high  interest. 

When  the  EngHsh  sub-contractors  were 
got  rid  of,  Danish  sub-contractors  were  taken 
on.  The  Danes  were  found  to  be  a  very- 
steady,  and  altogether  very  superior  class  of 
men.  Mr.  Rowan  gives  similar  praise  to  the 
Danish  common  labourers.  It  must  be  ob- 
served, however,  that  they  take  their  time 
to  do  their  work  in,  beginning  in  summer  at 
4  o'clock  in  the  morninof,  and  not  leaving  off  Hours  of 

^  ^  labour. 

until  8  o'clock  in  the  evening.  How  different 
is  this  mode  of  working  from  that  of  the 
English  navvy,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  will 
sometimes  get  through  an  immense  amount 
of  labour  early  in  the  afternoon,  lifting  during 
the  day  nearly  twenty  tons  weight  of  earth  on 
a  shovel  over  his  head  into  a  wagon.  The 
Danish  labourers  have  five  intervals  of  rest 
in  the  day,  these  intervals  lasting  each  for 
half-an-hour. 

In  Denmark  rent  is  cheap  ;  and  the  food 
of  the  common  labourer,  chiefly  consisting  of 


224  RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 


CHAP,    black   bread,    is   also    cheap ;    but   fuel    and 

XVI.  . 

' — ' — '  clothing   are   dear.     The   labouring   classes, 

however,    in    Denmark,    dress    much    better 

s^wedish^^    than  the  same  classes  of  workmen  in  this 

and  Danish  , 

workmen.      COUUtry. 

Mr.  Rowan  notices  that  the  Swedish  work- 
men drank  more  than  the  Danes.  They  were 
energetic  and  polite,  but  troublesome ;  in  short, 
they  were  not  as  steady  as  the  Danes.  It  is 
gratifying  to  find  that,  after  all,  the  British 
navvy  is  the  king  of  labourers.  Mr.  Rowan 
evidently  was  greatly  pleased  with  his 
Danish  labourers ;  but  when  pressed  with 
the  question  whether  a  Danish  workman 
surpasses  a  British  navvy,  he  replied  in  these 
words  :  —  *  No  man  is  equal  to  a  British 
navvy;  but  the  Dane,  from  his  steady, 
constant  labour,  is  a  good  workman  ;  and  a 
first-class  one  will  do  nearly  as  much  work  in 
a  day  as  an  Englishman.* 

In  the  mere  construction  of  the  Danish 
railways  there  was  not  much  which  need  be 
noticed.  Occasionally  there  were  very  heavy 
and  troublesome  earthworks,  so  troublesome, 
indeed,  that  Mr.  Brassey  was  sent  for,  to  be 


RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK.  '  22$ 


consulted   as   to   how  the   work    should    be     chap. 

XVI. 


dealt  with  ;  but  there  was  not  anything  of  '  ' 
that  very  special  character  that  demands  to 
be  recorded  in  the  history  of  railway  enter- 
prise. The  character  of  the  people,  and  the 
effect  that  their  education  has  upon  their 
character  and  conduct,  are  the  main  points 
worthy  of  notice  in  the  story  of  these  Danish 
works.     Mr.  Rowan  had  great  opportunities  Danish 

.        .  .  engineer- 

of  observation  m  reference  to  these  particulars,  ing  super- 

inten- 

The   superintendence   of    the   railways   was  dence. 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  military  engineers, 
who   were   all    trained    in    the    Polytechnic 
school  of  Copenhagen.     They  had  the  very 
highest   theoretical   education ;   but,    as    Mr. 
Rowan    says,    they    possessed    no    practical 
knowledge  whatever  on  leaving  these  schools. 
The   same  statement   may  surely   be  made 
about  the  students  in   all    schools,   whether 
Danish   or  British.     This  remark,  however, 
does  not   furnish   a  complete   reply  to    Mr. 
Rowan's  observations  ;  and  the  further  state- 
ments which  he  makes  give  a  good  Illustra  -  Fault  of 
tion  of  one  of  the  most  important  points   to  ed^u^at^n. 
be   attended   to    in  education.     '  The    o-reat 

Q 


226  RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 


Decisive- 
ness. 


^XYi'  ^^"^^  ^^  Danish  technical  education  is  the 
*■  "  overdoing  of  it.  The  young  men  are  kept  in 
school  till  they  are  twenty-five.  They  come 
out  highly  educated ;  utterly  ignorant  of  the 
world,  but  educated  to  a  tremendous  height.' 
The  main  point  in  which  Mr.  Rowan  found 
that  these  highly  educated  persons  were 
deficient,  was  decisiveness.  *  They  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  applying  to  one  of  their 
masters  for  everything,  finding  out  nothing 
for  themselves  ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that 
they  are  children,  and  they  cannot  form  a 
judgment.  It  is  the  same  in  the  North  of 
Germany ;  the  great  difficulty  is,  that  you 
cannot  get  them  to  come  to  a  decision.  They 
want  always  to  enquire  and  to  investigate, 
and  they  never  come  to  a  result.' 

The  foregoing  is  a  very  important  state- 
ment. There  is  great  reason  for  thinking 
that  of  all  the  qualities  which  are  needful  for 
the  wise  conduct  of  human  life,  decisiveness 
is  the  one  which  can  least  afford  to  lie  dor- 
mant. It  soon  dies  away  by  inanition,  if  not' 
exercised.  Moreover,  it  is  very  questionable 
whether    it    can    be    revived.      Experience 


RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 


227 


seems  to  show  that  if  young  people  are  not    ^J?^/' 
trained  to  decide,  or  at  least  not  encouraged  "      '      ' 
and  allowed  to  exercise  decisiveness,  they  will 
never  be  able  to  evoke  this  quality  in  after 
life  when  it  is  wanted.     If  this  be  so,  it  is  a 
matter  which  requires  the  most  serious  con- 
sideration  at    the   present    time,    when   the 
British  nation,  or  rather  its  Government,  is 
introducing  a  system  tending  to  promote  the 
laborious  acquisition  of  knowledge  at  an  early 
period  of  life  ;  which  system,  however,  as  the 
opponents  to  it  contend,  may  produce  a  well- 
instructed  and  docile,  but,  at  the  same  time,  an 
unthoughtful,   unoriginal,  and  indecisive  race 
of  men.     I    make  no  excuse  for  this  short 
digression,  any  question  relating  to  Education 
being  of  so  much  significance  at  the  present 
moment.     I  may  add,  that  I  believe  that  our 
success  hitherto  in  colonization,  which  has  far 
exceeded    that  of  any  other   people  in   the 
world,    has  greatly   arisen  from    the   fact   of 
our  possessing  more  decisiveness  than  those  English 
other  people,  and  from  our  education  having  Danish 
been  less  stimulated  by  material  rewards,  so  ciai  educa- 
that   our  youth   have   been  accustomed    to 

Q2 


228  RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK. 

^}h^^'     think  a  little  for  themselves,  without  beinpf 
XVI.  '  ^ 

'      '      '   induced  to  turn  their  thinking  at  once  into 
profitable  courses. 

Mr.  Rowan  gives  an  anecdote  which  serves 
well  to  illustrate  his  preceding  statements  : — 
*  I  was  some  time  ago  speaking  to  a  man  of 
business  in  Denmark,  who  is  an  exception 
to  Danes  generally,  and  extremely  energetic 
and  a  man  of  great  powers,  besides  being 
altogether  a  man  who  would  make  a  first-rate 
man  of  business  in  England.  I  said,  '  My 
friend,  will  you  tell  me  why  It  Is  you  are  so 
different  from  all  your  countrymen?'  'Yes,' 
he  said,  '  because  I  learned  my  business  in 
Liverpool.'  I  said,  'Will  you  go  further, 
and  tell  me  where  is  the  difference  between 
Liverpool  and  Copenhagen  ? '     He  said,   *  I 

Danish       ^jj|  ^^jj  y^^  jj^  ^^^  word.     If  I   had  been 

mercantile  learning  my  business  here,  and  I  came  to  a 
training,  ^jf^culty,  I  should  Straight  go  to  one  of  my 
superiors  in  the  office,  and  he  would  take  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  to  tell  me  how  to  get 
over  the  difficulty,  and  show  me  how  it 
should  be  done.  But  when  I  was  in  an 
office  in  Liverpool,  and  I  came  to  a  difficulty, 


RAILWAYS  IN  DENMARK.  229 


and  went  to  my  superior  there,  and  asked    ^^^^^• 
him  to  explain   it  to  me,  he  said  '  Do  not         '      ' 
bother  me  about  it ;   find  it  out ! '     '  And,'  he 
added,  *  that  is  the  secret/ 

The  constructors  of  railways  in  Denmark  Difficulties 
had,  as  might  be  expected,  an  evil  time  of  it  war.^ 
during  the  war.  The  Danish  Government 
seized  the  rolling  stock  of  the  company. 
The  sub-contractors  were  obliged  to  assist  in 
making  military  earthworks.  The  railway 
banks  were  formed  into  regular  fortifications, 
and  had  to  suffer  bombardment.  Indeed,  as 
Mr.  Rowan  observes,  'the  combatants  on 
either  side  had  no  compunction  in  seizing  our 
materials,  and  in  making  our  people  work  for 
them.' 

The  only  further  evidence  given  by  Mr. 
Rowan  which  need  be  alluded  to  on  this  sub- 
ject, is  evidence  of  a  similar  character  to  that 
so  often  given  before  as  regards  the  confidence 
placed  in  their  agents  by  these  great  contrac- 
tors. The  estimates  for  the  Danish  work 
were  agreed  upon  by  Mr.  Rowan  and  the 
Government  agents  in  detail  ;  and  the  figures 


230  RAILWAYS   IN  DENMARK. 


CHAP,  were  never  objected  to  when  they  were  sent 
— ' —  home  to  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts.  *  I 
do  not  know,'  Mr.  Rowan  says,  '  of  a  single 
instance,  in  which  one  of  their  agents  has 
failed  in  that  respect  (in  respect  of  misusing 
the  confidence  reposed  in  them)  :  they  prove 
themselves  worthy  of  the  trust,  and  that 
shows  what  there  is  to  be  gained  by  placing 
confidence  in  others.' 


[     -31     ] 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 
(a.d.  1859-1863), 


THERE  are  some  men,  the  Interest  in     chap. 
whose  hves,  when  these  come  to  be  "^    '      ' 
recorded,  lies  wholly  In  the  results  of  their 
daily   work.     There   are   other   men  in  the 
record  of  whose  lives  the  daily  work  they  did 
is  of  no  account  with  posterity,  and  may  be 
summed   up   by   the   biographer    in    a    few 
careless  sentences.     It  is  in  vain  that  Charles  Charles 
Lamb,  apostrophising  the  India  House,  ex-  his  works, 
claims  :   '  Thou  dreary  pile,  fit  mansion  for  a 
Gresham  or  a  Whittington  of  old.     Stately 
house   of    Merchants,  with    thy  labyrinthine 
passages  and  light-excluding  pent-up  offices, 
where  candles  for  one  half  the  year  supplied 
the  place  of  the  sun's  light ;  unhealthy  con- 


232 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP  tributor  to  my  weal,  stern  fosterer  of  my 
^^}^-  .  living,  farewell !  In  thee  remain,  and  not  in 
the  obscure  collection  of  some  wandering 
bookseller,  "  my  works  !  "  There  let  them  rest, 
as  I  do  from  my  labours,  piled  on  thy  massy 
shelves,  more  MSS.  in  folio  than  ever 
Aquinas  left,  and  full  as  useful !  My  mantle 
I  bequeath  among  ye.' 

It  is  in  vain,  I  say,  that  this  great 
humourist  endeavours  to  persuade  us  that 
these  were  his  works,  which  we  know  were 
not  his  works,  at  any  rate  for  us  ;  and  we  for 
ever  refer  to  the  obscure  collection  of  some 
wanderinof  bookseller  for  our  knowledge  of 
that  much-suffering,  most  gentle,  and  most 
loving  soul. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some  men  in 
whose  career  thought  and  action  are  so  hap- 
pily blended,  at  any  rate  happily  for  the 
biographer,  that  their  daily  labours  form  an 
admirable  thread  to  the  main  narrative  of 
their  biography.  These  are  great  warriors, 
statesmen,  conquerors,  and  discoverers  of  new 
lands. 

Again,  there  are  lives  in  which  the  interest 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA.  233 


centres  In  great  works  done,  not  exactly  of  a  chap. 
continuous  character,  not  exactly  affording  a  - — r-^ 
good  thread  for  biographical  narrative,  but  of 
which  it  may  be  said,  in  the  forcible  word, 
that  adorns  and  illustrates  the  so-called 
*  monument '  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  ;  Cir- 
cumspice. 

This  was  eminently  the  case  with  Mr. 
Brassey's  life.  The  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  persons  who  are  daily  passing  over  rail- 
ways, constructed  by  his  energy,  ability,  and 
perseverance,  might  well,  when  looking  at 
many  a  remarkable  and  difficult  construction 
on  these  lines,  and  speaking  of  his  merits, 
exclaim,  Circtcmspice  ! 

I  am  now  going  to  treat  of  Mr.  Brassey's  y^^ 
work  in  Australia.     There  is  one  point   of  AifsSL 
interest  which  it  lacks — namely,  that  it  was 
not  subjected  to    his  personal  inspection  or 
supervision. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  very 
important  reason  why  the  work  in  Australia 
should  be  brought  before  the  reader  ;  and  that 
is,  because  it  bears  closely  upon  the  great  sub- 
ject of  Emigration — a  subject  which  must  have 


234  WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP,    the  deepest  interest  for  all  thoughtful  men  In 

' ' — '   this   over-populated  country,   which  will  yet 

have  to  consider  the  whole  question  of  Emi- 
gration, with  far  more  care  than  it  has  hitherto 
bestowed.  Before  entering  into  the  details 
which  have  been  furnished  to  me  of  the 
construction  of  these  Australian  railways,  I 
would  remark,  that  the  evidence  which  we  get 
about  Emigration  in  this  indirect  manner  from 
Mr.  ^  persons  who  have  gone  to  Australia,  with 
agents'       ^   purpose    entirely   foreign    to   the   gfeneral 

evidence  ^        ^  jo  o 

valuable      subject  of  Emi2:ration,  is  likely  to  be  most 

as  concerns  -^  &  '  ^ 

Emigra-      valuable  evidence.     It  will  be  full  of  know- 

tion. 

ledge,  and  yet  it  is  not  probable  that  it  will 
be  based  upon  any  pre-conceived  opinions 
regarding  Emigration,  or  that  it  will  have 
any  personal  bias  regarding  the  interests  of 
emigrants. 

I  feel  that  I  am  not  deviating  improperly 
from  the  main  subject  of  this  work  in  follow- 
ing out  these  indirect  consequences  of  the 
•  late  Mr.  Brassey's  labours.  Nothing,  I  am 
confident,  would  have  more  delighted  that 
good  man,  than  to  find  that  his  work,  in 
distant  countries,  had  directly  promoted  the 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA.  235 


welfare  of  the  native  people  amongst  whom     chap. 


that  work  was  accomplished,  and  that  It  had  '      ' 
developed  special  Information  Indirectly  bear- 
ing upon  the  future  welfare  of  his  country- 
men. 

I  now  proceed  to  give  the  result  of  the 
evidence  of  one  of  the  principal  persons 
employed  by  Mr.  Brassey  in  the  con- 
struction of  Australian  railways.  This 
gfentleman's   name   is  Mr.    Samuel    Wilcox.  Mr. 

Wilcox  S 

Before  going  to  Australia,  as  one  of  Mr.  evidence. 
Brassey's  agents,  he  had  been  employed  under 
Mr.  Ballard  on  the  Great  Northern  line,  and 
also  in  Holland,  on  the  line  between  Utrecht 
and  Rotterdam.  He  had  also  been  employed 
in  the  construction  of  the  Paris  and  Caen 
Railway.  During  his  employment  on  these 
lines  he  had  enjoyed  ample  experience  of  the 
way  in  which  Mr.  Brassey  dealt  with  his 
agents,  and  with  all  the  persons,  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest,  acting  under  him.  In 
March  1859  he  went  to  Australia  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Rhodes,  another  esteemed 
agent  of  Mr.  Brassey's.  The  lines  they  had 
to  construct  were  in  New  South  Wales,  and 


236  WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP,    were  called  the  Great  Southern,  the   Great 

XVII. 

^ — ^ — '   Northern,  and  the  Great  Western  Railways. 

Australian   There  is  nothing  In  the  construction  of  these 

RaUways.  jj^^^^  ^^^  whIch  It  is  needful  to  claim  the 
attention  of  the  reader.  I  mean  that  there 
were  no  remarkable  engineering  difficulties 
which  had  not  often  been  surmounted  in 
Mr.  Brassey's  previous  undertakings.  But 
the  cost  of  the  labour  deserves  to  be  carefully 
noted.  Taking,  for  Instance,  any  twenty 
miles  of  the  Southern  line  as  an  Illustration, 
Mr.  Wilcox  states,  that  If  he  had  to  lay  dov/n 
a  similar  length  of  line  in  England,  upon 
English  terms,  the  difference  of  expense  in 

Their  cost,  favour  of  England  would  be  3,000/.  or 
4,000/.  a  mile ;  in  both  cases  exclusive  of 
the  rolling  stock. 

The  system  of  organization  was  the  same 
in  Australia  as  it  had  been  in  England, 
namely,  that  of  sub-contracts  for  all  parts  of 
the  work.  The  Iron  work,  the  rolling  stock, 
and  plant  of  all  kinds,  came  from  England, 
but  not,  of  course,  the  timber.  It  will  now 
be  interesting  to  see  the  rate  of  wages. 
Labourers  earned  from  "js,  to    Si",   per  day, 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA.  237 


and  at  piece  work  would  make  ()s.     A  mason     ^^J*- 
averaged    12^-.,  a    bricklayer    received    from  ^^    '      ' 

prices  of 

lis,  to  125".,  and  a  carpenter  would  earn  from  Australian 

labour. 
lOS.  to   12S. 

Now  comes  the  question  of  food  and  its  Cost  of 

■"■  living  m 

expense.     Here  I  prefer  to  give  the  witness's  Queens- 
own  words  : — 

Q.  Have  you  considered  the  cost  of  living  ?  . 

A.  Yes ;  a  man  would  live  uncommonly  well  there  for 
about  2>s.  or  9^-.  a  week  individually. 

Q.  Suppose  he  had  a  wife  and  a  family  of  four  children ; 
what  would  it  cost  them  ? 

A.  I  can  hardly  tell  you  that.    • 

Q.  Take  a  man  spending  10s.  a  week  there  ;  if  he  had 
been  living  in  England  would  it  have  cost  him  %s.  ? 

A.  He  would  get  as  much  bread  and  meat  there  as  he 
could  eat,  but  here  he  could  hardly  look  at  it.  As  long 
as  a  man  with  a  family  is  kept  from  drink  there,  he  can, 
in  a  very  short  time,  get  sufficient  money  to  start  and 
buy  a  piece  of  land,  and  become  '  settled.' 

Q.  May  it  not  be  said  that  a  good  stout  labourer  in 
England  could  not  live  as  a  navvy  for  less  than  ?>s. 
a  week  ? 

A.  Not  living  as  a  navvy  does.  I  do  not  think  that 
he  could  live  on  8j-.  a  week ;  living  generously  as  a 
navvy  has  to  live.  Out  there  he  could  live  very  much 
more  amply  supplied  at  10s.,  and  really  on  less  than  loj-. 
In  the  case  of  some  of  the  men  I  have  known  camping 
out  together,  the  rations  did  not  come  to  more  than  8j-.  6d. 
per  week. 


238 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP. 
XVII. 


Exporta- 
tion of 
English 
labourers 
for 

Australian 
railways. 


Q.  Did  you  find  that  a  working  man,  placed  as  he 
^  appears  to  be  in  Australia  in  exceptionally  advantageous 
positions  with  regards  to  means,  drinks  more  ? 

A.  Yes ;  he  does. 

Q.  In  short,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  drunkenness 
there  ? 

A.  Yes ;  and  the  drink  is  more  expensive ;  they 
charge  you  more  there ;  they  charge  you  6d.  for  a  glass 
of  beer,  and  they  charge  for  a  bottle  of  beer  2S.  6d.y 
which  you  get  for  is.  in  England. 

This  is  what  may  be  expected  ;  but  It  is 
very  vexatious  to  find  that  the  great  advantage 
which  the  Enghsh  labourer  gains  in  AustraHa, 
from  the  increased  rate  of  wages  and  from 
the  comparative  cheapness  of  living,  is 
counteracted  by  his  disposition  to  spend 
more  money  in  drink ;  and  that  the  result 
shown  by  Mr.  Wilcox's  evidence  is  that  a 
working  man  in  Australia,  having  greater 
means  at  his  command,  does  drink  more  than 
a  labouring  man  in  England. 

Mr.  Brassey's  agents  found  that  it  was  de- 
sirable to  get  labourers  from  Great  Britain  ; 
and  their  efforts  are  thus  described  : — 

'  Mr.  Brassey  wrote  to  Mr.  Milroy,  and 
got  him  to  select  a  lot  of  men  in  Scodand. 
Mr.  Harrison  selected  some,  and  Mr.  Ballard 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA,  239 


took  a  great  interest  in  the  matter,  and  also     chap. 

^  XVII. 

picked  out  a  lot :  altogether  from   England  " ■ — 

and  Scotland  we  got  2,000  men.     We  had  to  Cost  of 

sending 

provide   them  with   an  outfit,  in  accordance  outemi- 

*■  grants. 

with  the  regulations  of  the  Government. 
The  cost  to  us,  for  selection  and  outfit, 
averaged  about  5/.,  and  the  cost  to  the 
Government,  for  the  passage,  about  12/.  in 
addition :  the  cost  of  each  man,  therefore, 
was  17/.,  or  34,000/.  altogether.' 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Mr.  Brassey's 
agents  did  not  attempt  to  get  back  from  the 
men  the  amount  of  money  that  had  been 
paid  for  passage-money.  *  We  sacrificed 
that,'  Mr.  Wilcox  says,  *  to  get  the  men  there. 
Having  men  in  the  country,  we  knew  that 
they  must  work  for  somebody ;  and  we  also 
knew  that  we  were  in  a  position  to  pay  them 
as  much  as,  or  more  than,  any  one  else.  They 
were  at  liberty,  on  landing,  to  go  where  they 
liked ;  and  some  few,  not  a  great  number, 
but  some  few,  never  came  to  the  works  at 
all ;  but  we  found  that  we  got  a  great  part  of 
them,  and  more  came  out  by  other  ships.' 

At  the  time  this  evidence  was  taken,  it 


2^0  WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP,    was    put    to    Mr.    Wilcox    whether,    as   an 


XVII. 


Railway 

versus 


tion 


emigration  agent  for  the  time,  he  was  not  in 
a  better  position,  than  the  authorities  of  a 
emi^a-^  paHsh  in  England,  which  might  wish  to 
promote  emigration.  He  admitted  that  he 
was,  and  for  two  reasons  : — First,  because 
the  parish  has  no  employment  to  offer  the 
emigrant  when  he  gets  out  to  Australia ; 
and,  secondly,  because  the  parish  wants  to 
get  rid  of  the  worst  men ;  whereas  he,  as 
Mr.  Brassey's  agent,  wanted  to  get  hold  of 
the  best  men.  His  views,  however,  on  this 
part  of  the  subject,  must  be  held  to  have 
reference  rather  to  the  benefit  of  the  colony 
•    than  of  the  home  country. 

The  subject  was  then  discussed  in 
reference  to  the  individual  emigrant ;  and 
though  the  witness  admitted  that  a  man 
who  did  not  succeed  in  Enorland  would  not 
succeed  In  Australia,  his  conclusion,  after  all, 
came  to  this,  *  that  the  worse  kind  of  man 
could  not  contrive  to  starve  in  the  new 
country,'  and  that  'there  is  nothmg  like 
pauperism  In  Australia.* 

He   was    then   pressed  with   a   question ; 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.  I  77 

adoption  of  so  sfreat  a  scheme ;  and  the  chap. 
Government,  therefore,  cordially  received  "— 7-  '^ 
the  proposal,  made  through  Mr.  Henfrey,  of 
constructing  a  cheap  line  of  railway  between 
Turin  and  Susa.  Its  object  was  to  facilitate 
the  means  of  communication  with  France 
— Susa  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  Mont  Cenis 
Pass. 

'  By    the    construction    of    this    line,'    as  Mr.  Hen- 

frey's  evi- 

Mr.  Henfrey  observes,  *  railway  communication  dence. 
would  be  complete  from  the  Alps  to  the 
Mediterranean,  and  the  first  link  in  the 
chain  of  international  communication  with 
France  and  the  West  of  Europe  would  be 
forged.'     A  contract  for  its  construction  was  Division  of 

shares  in 

made  between  the  Piedmontese  Government  the  Turin 

and  Susa 

and  Messrs.  Brassey,  Jackson,  and  Henfrey.  ^i^^. 
The  Piedmontese  Government  engaged  to 
take  one  half  the  shares,  and  the  contractors 
the  other  half.  Moreover,  the  Government 
undertook  the  surveillance  of  the  w^orks,  and 
to  work  and  maintain  the  line  at  fifty  per 
cent,  on  the  gross  receipts. 

In   continuance  of   the   same   great   plan 
of  making    railway  communication  between 

N 


178  THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP.     Piedmont  and    France,  a  survey  was  made 
XIII.  ^ 

" — " — '  by  Messrs.    Brassey,  Jackson,  and  Henfrey, 

on  the  northern  side  of  the   pass  of  Mont 

Cenis,    down    the    valley    of    the    Arc,   to 

A.D.  1853.  Chambery,  and  thence  to  the  French  frontier 

at  Culoz. 

The  Piedmontese  Government  had  pro- 
mised to  give  their  support  to  this  project. 
But  here  a  French  company  stepped  in,  and 
proposed  to  Messrs.  Brassey,  Jackson,  and 
Henfrey,  that  if  they  would  withdraw  their 
demand  for  a  concession,  they  (the  French 
company)  would  ensure  to  them  the  execution 
The  Victor  of  the  works,  which  offer  was  accepted.  It 
Railway,  was  Called  the  Victor  Emmanuel  Railway,  in 
honour  of  the  King  of  Sardinia. 

The  works  on  this  line  were  commenced 
in  1855  and  completed  in  1858,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  Thomas  Bartlett. 
*  It  was,'  Mr.  Henfrey  says,  'during  the 
Bartiett's  constructiou  of  this  railway  that  Mr.  Bartlett 
ch^ef  °^^'  first  brought  into  use  his  machine  for  boring 
rock,  the  principle  of  which  was  appro- 
priated, with  but  faint  recognition  of  his 
claims,    by   the    Italian    engineers,    for    the 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.  I  79 

boring  machinery  of  the  Mont  Cenis  Tunnel,  chap. 
It  may  safely  be  said  that,  in  the  absence  of  ^ — -— ^ 
such  a  machine  for  facilitating  the  boring  of 
rock,  the  Sardinian  Government  would  not 
have  undertaken  so  gigantic  a  work  as  the 
Mont  Cenis  Tunnel — 12,220  metres,  or  7^ 
miles  long,  through  solid  stone ;  and  it  is 
gratifying  to  find  that  the  importance  of 
Mr.  Bartlett's  invention  has  been  fully  appre- 
ciated in  France,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
following  extract  from  a  brochure,  entitled 
"  Geologie  des  Alpes  et  du  Tunnel  des 
Alpes,"  recently  published  by  the  eminent 
geologist,  M.  Elie  de  Beaumont '  : — ^ 

"  En  1855,  un  Anglais,  M.  Bartlett,  construisit  une 
machine  perforatrice,  qui  fut  essayee  avec  un  plein  succbs 
k  Genes  et  \  Chambery! 

"  Au  premier  aspect  on  croyait  avoir  devant  soi  une 
simple  locomotive  ;  mais  au  piston  de  la  machine  k 
vapeur  s'ajoutait  un  second  piston  plein  d'air,  dont  la 
tige  etait  armee  d'une  barre  \  mine.  L'air  faisait 
matelas,  et  empechait  les  chocs  trop  brusques  de  se 
transmettre  au  piston  moteur.  La  barre  k  mine  frappait 
jusqu'k  300  coups  a  la  minute. 

"  Le  probleme  de  la  perforation  mecanique  etait  resolu; 
mais   on  ne  pouvait  raisonnablement  songer  k  utiliser 


*  Paris,  187 1. 

N  2 


i8o 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP,     une  machine  \  vapeur  dans  un  trou  d'une  profondeur  de 

XIIT 

_  ^  '  .  plusieurs  kilometres.  Le  peu  d'air  respirable  que  Ton 
aurait  pu  envoyer  aux  ouvriers  aurait  ete  bien  prompte- 
ment  vicie. 

"  Ici  intervint  I'idee  feconde  de  I'emploi  de  I'air  com- 
prime  comme  force  motrice  en  remplacement  de  la 
vapeur.  Rien  n'etait  plus  \  propos  que  d'employer,  au 
lieu  d'elements  irrespirables,  de  I'air  pur  qui,  apres  avoir 
servi  k  transmettre  la  force,  ventilerait  la  galerie. 

"  L'honneur  de  cette  importante  application  de  Fair 
comprime  appartient  aux  trois  ingenieurs  Somraeiller, 
Grandis,  et  Grattoni,  qui  congurent  ensemble  cette  ide'e 
pendant  une  mission  dont  ils  furent  charges  en  Belgique 
et  en  Angleterre."  ^ 


Nothing,  as  my  readers  know,  is  more 
difficult  than  to  proportion  exactly  the  res- 
pective merit  due  to  inventors  who  have  had 
the  same  object  in  view,  and  have  adopted 
somewhat  similar  means  for  effecting  the 
same. 

I  am  particular  in  mentioning  this  invent 
tion  of  Mr.  Bartlett's,  because  Mr.  Brassey, 
with  his  usual  generosity  to  those  he 
employed,  gave    Mr.   Bartlett  5,000/.  in  aid 


Mr.  Bras- 
sey aids 
Mr.  Bart- 
lett with 
funds  to 
cany  out 
his  ma- 
chine. 


*  For  a  full  and  lucid  discussion  of  the  relative  merits 
of  Bartlett's  and  Sommeiller's  Boring  Machines,  see  the 
report  of  the  debate  at  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers, 
Feb.  1 6,  1864. 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.        '  l8l 


of   the   expenses   connected   with    the   con-    chap. 

XIII. 

structlon  and  trial  of  this  machine.  * — ' — 


While    the     Victor    Emmanuel     Railway  Buffaiora 

1      •  1        T\  T         T»  1     Extension 

was  being  constructed,  Mr.  Brassey  and  Railway. 
Mr.  Henfrey  contracted  for  making  an 
extension  of  the  Novara  Railway  from  that 
city  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Ticino  at 
Buffaiora,  and  also  for  the  construction  of 
the  Chivasso  and  Ivrea  Railway. 

'  It  will  be  seen,'  as  Mr.  Henfrey  says,  *  that 
the  railways  completed  by  Mr.  Brassey  and  his 
partners  formed  a  continuous  line  from  the 
ther  French  frontier  at  Culoz,  on  the  Rhone,  to 
the  old  Austrian  frontier  at  Buffaiora  on  the 
Ticino,  with  the  exception  only  of  the  pass  over 
the  Mont  Cenis ;  and  the  years  during  which 
these  contracts  were  executed  comprised 
that  bright  period  in  the  history  of  Italy, 
during  which  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia, 
emerging  from  comparative  obscurity,  took 
its  place  by  the  side  of  the  great  Powers  of 
Europe. 

*  Looking  at  the  chain  of  events,  we  may 
reasonably  speculate  as  to  whether  the 
facility    for    the    movement    of  troops   and 


l82  THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 

CHAP,  supplies  afforded  by  the  railway  communica- 
■ — ' — '  tion  for  the  whole  distance  from  Paris  to  the 
Austrian  frontier,  excepting  only  the  pass  of 
the  Mont  Cenis,  was  the  weakest  argument 
or  inducement  brought  forward  by  Cavour 
in  soliciting  Napoleon's  aid  for  his  country. 

*  We  may  speculate  also  as  to  w^hether  these 
railways  would  have  been  so  opportunely 
completed  without  the  aid  of  British  enter- 
prise, at  a  time  when  it  was  most  required  ; 
and  perhaps  be  justified  in  concluding,  that 
our  countrymen  may  thus  have  borne  a 
humble  part  in  bringing  about  the  greatest 
result  of  modern  civilization — the  unification 
of  Italy.' 


L   183   ] 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY   OF  CANADA. 
(a.d.   1852-1859.) 


T 


HE   Grand   Trunk  Railway  of  Canada     chap. 
was   one   of  the  most  important  un-    — ^^ — * 
dertakings  in  which   Mr.   Brassey  was  ever  Tm^k'^^'^ 
concerned.     This    railway  supplies  a  means  caiS^^ 
of  intercommunication  through  the  valley  of 
the  St.    Lawrence   during  the  whole  of  the 
year,  an  advantage,  which,  owing  to  the  river 
being  frozen   over   for   at   least   six  months 
annually,  had  previously  been  enjoyed  only 
during'  the  summer.     Even  during  the  season, 
when  the  navigation  is  open,  the   means  of 
transport,  by  water,  are  imperfect.     Seagoing 
vessels,   of   700    to    800  tons  burden,  could 
proceed  safely  as  far  as  Lake   Ontario  ;  but 
the  limited  dimensions  of  the  W  elland  Canal 


i84 


THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP. 
XIV. 


Origin  of 
the  rail- 
way. 


Messrs. 
Peto, 
Brassey, 
and  Betts 
invited  to 
consider 
the  matter. 


made  it  necessary  that  the  produce  from 
Lakes  Erie,  Huron,  Michigan,  and  Superior 
should  be  conveyed  to  Lake  Ontario  in 
smaller  vessels,  not  exceeding  300  tons 
burden.  The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  was 
intended  to  obviate  the  necessity  for  this 
transhipment  of  cargo. 

The  first  conception  of  this  vast  under- 
taking is  due  to  the  Honourable  Francis 
Hincks,  and  the  Honourable  John  Ross,  who 
was  for  some  time  the  Speaker  of  the  Cana- 
dian House  of  Assembly. 

During  the  summer  of  1852,  at  the  request 
of  the  Provincial  Government  of  Canada, 
Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts  undertook 
an  examination  of  that  country,  with  a  view 
to  the  development  of  a  complete  system  of 
railways.  The  execution  of  this  task  was 
entrusted  to  Sir  William  Jackson  (who  was 
afterwards  associated  with  the  contractors  in 
their  imdertaking),  and  to  Mr.  Alexander 
Ross  as  Civil  Engineer. 

With  the  information  thus  obtained,  a 
complete  scheme  for  the  Grand  Trunk  system 
of  railways,   including   the  Victoria   Bridge, 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  1 85 


was  prepared,  and  introduced  to  the  public,     chap. 


under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Thomas    Baring,  '      '      ' 
and  Mr.    George  Carr  Glyn,  the   agents  in 
England  for  Canada. 

Mr.  Robert  Stephenson  subsequently  acted  The 
as  Consulting  Engineer  to  the  Company, 
Mr.  Alexander  Ross  being  the  Company's 
Engineer  for  the  whole  undertaking.  Mr. 
Ross  designed  all  the  important  '  works  of 
art ; '  the  rest  of  the  engineering  being  done 
by  the  contractors  under  him  :  *the  agents 
carrying  out  their  work  without  any  superior 
control.     The  railway  was  divided   into  four  Division  of 

1  •  •  1  •  ^  r         ■,  ^^  work. 

districts,  the  agents  in  command  of  these 
districts  being  on  an  equal  footing  with  one 
another.  They  were  in  the  habit  of  having 
consultations ;  but  were  not  placed  under 
the  authority  of  any  engineer-in- chief.      Mr.  The 

"D  r        •  11  agents. 

Rowan,  professionally  educated  as  a  civil 
engineer,  Mr.  Hodges,  Mr.  Reikie,  and  Mr. 
Tait,  were  the  respective  agents. 

Hereafter,  some  account  will  be  given  of 
the  extent  and  nature  of  some  of  the  works 
on  this  remarkable  line,  which  is  one  that 
forms  a  most  important  link  in  the  system  of 


1 86  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 

CHAP.  American  railways,  opening  up  large  districts 
"^^  "  '  of  valuable  land,  and  connecting  the  Erie 
and  Great  Western  of  Canada  Railroads,  and 
other  lines  of  lesser  importance.  But,  pre- 
viously, it  will  be  desirable  to  give  a  description 
of  the  nature  and  qualifications  of  the  work- 
men in  the  great  American  continent,  and 
their  implements,  as  contrasted  with  the 
British  workmen  and  their  appliances. 

This  account  will  be  chiefly  taken  from 
evidence  furnished  by  the  principal  agents 
employed  by  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and 
Betts  in  the  construction  of  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway. 
Mr.  James  The  person  upon  whom  I  rely  mostly  for 
information  in  the  present  instance,  is  Mr. 
James  Hodges.  He  began  life  as  a  car- 
penter, and  was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter 
goes  to       and  builder  in  Brompton.     In  1853  he  went 

Canada. 

to  Canada  to  aid  in  carrying  out  the  works 
of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  and  remained 
there  until  the  Prince  of  Wales  had  laid  the 
last  stone  and  put  in  the  last  rivet.  Mr. 
Betts  had  the  entire  supervision  of  the  local 
management  of  the  line  ;  but  Mr.   Brassey, 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  1 87 


went  over  to  Canada  to  see  the  progress,  as    chap. 


was  his  usual   custom  in  all  works   in  which         '     ^ 
he  was  concerned,  and  also  took  part  in  the 
financial  operations. 

Mr.  Brassey  landed  at  New  York,  and  Mr.  Mr. 

Brassey 

Hodg^es  went  to  meet  him.     The  Americans  goes  to 

America. 

showed  the  greatest  attention  to  Mr.  Brassey. 
Special  cars  were  attached  at  the  end  of  the 
trains  for  him,  in  order  that  he  might  have 
the  best  opportunities  of  seeing  the  country 
through  which  he  passed  ;  and  the  managers 
of  the  various  lines  always  went  with  hiuL 

As  might  be  expected,  he  was  greatly  struck, 
and  much  delighted,  with  the  new  things 
which  he  saw  in  America.      He  was  espe-  American 

granaries. 

cially  pleased  with  the  granaries,  and  with 

the  processes  for  cooling  the  grain  adopted 

there,  which  are  thus  described  : — 

By  means  of  a  thermometer,  which  is  thrust  into  the 
middle  of  all  large  masses  of  grain,  the  Americans  have 
the  means  of  ascertaining  its  temperature.  Be  it  ever 
so  large  a  mass  they  find  out  directly  it  is  heating.  They 
then  let  it  run  down  a  long  shoot,  perhaps  for  100  feet. 
It  is  then  elevated  again  ;  and  as  it  passes  down  rapidly 
through  the  air,  it  cools ;  and  this  operation  also  helps  to 
brighten  the  surface  of  the  grain.  It  is  then  in  a  cool 
state  stored  again,  being  returned  back  by  means  of  little 


America. 


l8S  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 

CHAP,     tin   buckets   which   are   driven   continuously   by   steam 
XIV  ... 

'  .    engines.     This  system  is  now  frequently  used. 

What,  however,  doubtless  had  most  interest 
for  Mr.  Brassey  must  have  been  the  works  in 
America  similar  to  his  own  in  England ;  and 
herein  he  must  have  been  struck  by  the  con- 
trast between  the  American  Railway  system 
and  the  English.  Mr.  Hodges  justly  says  : — 
Railways         '  In  America,  a  railway  is  like  a  river,  and 

as  a  means 

of  com-      is  regarded  as  the  natural  channel  of  civiliza- 

munica- 

tion  in  tion.  Extended  into  a  thinly  populated  dis- 
trict,  it  is  the  pioneer  of  civilization ;  it  pre- 
cedes population ;  and  is  laid  down,  even 
before  common  roads  are  thought  of  As 
the  expectation  of  traffic  is,  in  many  instances, 
but  small,  the  cost  of  construction  must  be 
kept  down  as  much  as  possible.  With  this 
object  in  view,  timber  is  universally  substituted 
for  the  more  costly  materials  made  use  of  in 
this  country.  Tressel  bridges  take  the  place 
of  stone  viaducts,  and,  in  places  in  which  in 
this  country  you  would  see  a  solid  embank- 
ment, in  America  a  light  structure  is  often 
substituted.' 

In  order   to  facilitate  the  construction  of 


to  rail- 
ways in 
America. 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  1 89 

railways,    the    American    Government    has     chap. 

.  XIV. 

sometimes  reserved  a  belt  of  territory,  per-  ' — ' — ' 
haps  a  mile  in  width,  half  of  which  is  granted  ^ent^Iid 
to  the  promoters  of  the  railway.  In  South 
America  the  same  principle  has  been  adopted, 
and  even  carried  fmther  by  the  Argentine 
Republic.  That  Government  gives  the  whole 
of  this  belt  to  the  railway  company,  with 
the  exception  of  certain  portions  of  land  near 
existing  towns,  or  in  places  where  it 
anticipates  that  great  towns  will  hereafter  be 
built. 

Of  course  it  would  be  impossible  that  such 
a  principle  should  be  adopted  in  a  country 
like  Great  Britain,  which  is  so  thickly  popu- 
lated, and  where  land  is  so  valuable. 

Mr.  Hodges  dwells  much  upon  the  very 
ingenious  and  successful  modes  of  facilitating 
labour  by  machinery,  in  use  among  the 
Americans,  and  adopted  by  them  on  account 
of  the  scarcity  and  consequent  dearness .  of 
labour.     He  also  notices  the  exceptional  skill  skiiiof 

1-11.  -I  .         ,    .        ,  Americans 

which  the  ironmasters  have  attained  in  that  in  iron- 

.      '  work. 

country   and    in    Canada,   being    stimulated 
thereto  by  the    difficulties   arising   from  the 


IQO  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 


™4^-    distances  which  separate  the  iron  mines  from 
the  beds  of  coal. 


XIV. 


Many  articles  (he  says)  are  made  of  cast  iron  in 
America,  which  in  this  country  can  only  be  produced  in 
wrought  iron.  For  example,  cast  iron  wheels  are  made 
in  America  of  a  very  superior  quality  to  any  which  can 
be  procured  in  this  country.  Here,  cast  iron  wheels 
cannot  be  made  to  stand  the  same  wear  and  tear  as  those 
made  by  hand  :  whereas  in  America,  cast  iron  wheels 
are  made  to  endure  a  very  considerable  amount  of  wear 
and  tear,  and  the  leading  wheels  of  the  locomotives,  as 
well  as  all  the  wheels  of  the  railway  carriages,  are  con- 
structed of  cast  iron  \  but  the  railway  authorities  in  this 
country  would  not  sanction  its  use  for  these  purposes. 
In  America,  cast  iron  wheels  are  made  of  chilled  iron, 
and  they  are  found  to  answer  their  purpose  admirably. 

American        The    marvellous    ingenuity    displayed   by 

skill  in  ma-      .  .  .  .         -  .  r      n   i.    i 

chinery.  the  AmcHcans  m  the  construction  of  all  light 
machinery  strikes  the  intelligent  observer 
very  much,   and  was,   no  doubt,  thoroughly 

The  appreciated   by   Mr.   Brassey.      The  greater 

Canada  ^    .  ^..  i      r  ^         r-^ 

works  at     part  of  the  rolling  stock  for  the  Grand  Trunk 

Birken- 
head. Railway  of  Canada  had    to   be  constructed 

at  Birkenhead.  For  this  purpose  workshops 
were  established ;  but  previously  to  com- 
mencing any  of  the  work,  the  contractors  of 
the     railway     sent    two     clever     mechanics 


THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  IQI 

throughout    the    United    States,  to    examine     ^^^' 
the  principal  estabhshments  in  which  similar  "      ' 

-         _  ,  Mechanics 

railway  stock  was  constructed.     It  must  nave  sent  to 

1  111111  •      •  America. 

struck  everybody  who  has  had  any  mtimate 

acquaintance  with  America,  how  thoroughly 

fearless  individual  Americans  often  are  of  com-  Competi- 
tion in 

petition  ;  notwithstanding  that  as  a  nation,  they  America. 
do  not  exhibit  a  similar  fearlessness.     These  The 

mechanics 

two  mechanics  were  welcomed  wherever  they  well  re- 
ceived. 

went ;  were  supplied  with  drawings  of  all  the 
best  machines,  and  with  every  Information 
requisite  for  their  instruction. 

It  Is  to  be  recollected  that  this  was  in  the  Morticing 

.  and  plan- 

year  1853:  and  at  that  time  there  were  no  ing  ma- 
such  things  made  in  England  as  morticing  or 
planing  machines,  both  of  which  are  now  so 
common.  These  machines  were  supplied  by 
American  manufacturers  to  the  workshops  of 
the  '  Canada  Works '  for  the  Grand  Trunk 
Railway.  It  is  some  comfort  to  our  national 
vanity  to  find  that  Mr.  Hodges,  after  giving 
due  praise  to  the  American  manufacturers  for 
the  lighter  kind  of  machinery,  adds  : — 

'  I  am  bound  to  state,  on  the  other  hand, 
that   in   the   construction   of  machinery   for 


192  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP,    undertaking  heavy  work,   England  has  car- 


' — ■ — '   ried  the  palm  against  every^  other  nation. 

*  For  this  description  of  work  Mr.  Whit- 
worth  has  given  tools  to  the  world  which  no 
other  maker  could  have  produced.' 

Bogie  On   the    Grand  Trunk  Railway  the  con- 

engines 
adopted,     tractors  were  obliged  to  adopt  the  American 

system  of  locomotives  :  these  American 
engines  were  all  constructed  with  *  bogies.' 
It  is  well  known  that  '  the  bogie  carriage 
yields  to  every  irregularity  in  the  railroad, 
whether  it  be  horizontal  or  lateral,  whereas, 
in  an  ordinary  English  locomotive,  the  lead- 
ing wheels  would  soon  be  worn  out  from  the 
violent  oscillation  and  vibration  arising  from 
the  traffic  on  the  rough  railroads  which  exist 
in  America.' 
English  It   may  be  noted   that  Mr.  Hodges  justly 

American    claims  the  '  bogic '  as  an  English  invention  ; 


inven- 


tions.' and  he  adds,  *  in  real  truth  most  of  their 
(American)  *'  inventions  "  are  English,  which 
they  have  adopted.' 

His  remarks  with  respect  to  the  relative 
merits  of  English,  American,  and  German 
labourers,  are  very  valuable,  as  coming  from 


THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA-  1 93 

one  who  has  had  such  large  experience  in  the     ^^'^^• 
employment  of  labour.       He  speaks  of  the  '      '      ' 
notable  fact  that,  many  of  the  most  ingenious 
English  mechanics  were  addicted   to   drink- 
ing: ;    and  he  comments    upon    the    injurious  Bad 

^  ^  •>  innueiv^e 

effects  of  Trades  Unions.     And  here  I  must  of  Trades' 

Unions. 

again  give  his  own  words  : — 

In  England,  the  Trades  Union  dominates  everywhere, 
and  it  soon  ruins  a  man.  He  can  only  do  just  what  its 
rules  prescribe,  and  what  he  is  allowed  to  do,  and  it  is 
only  one  particular  sort  of  work  that  he  does.  But  in 
America,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  obliged  to  do  all  sorts  of 
things.  I  am  ready  to  admit  that  if  a  man  only  makes 
the  head  of  a  pin,  no  man  can  do  that  so  well  as  the  man 
who  does  that  alone ;  but  his  intellect  becomes  cramped 
by  that  fact,  and  he  soon  loses  all  grasp  of  mind  :  but 
when  he  gets  to  the  States  he  has  perhaps  to  chop  down 
a  tree,  or  extemporise  a  pail,  and  that  makes  a  man 
altogether  different : — his  intellect  becomes  clearer: — al- 
though he  is  not  so  good  a  machine,  he  rapidly  rises  in 
the  scale  of  intellect.  In  England  he  is  a  machine,  but 
as  soon  as  he  gets  out  to  the  United  States  he  becomes  an 
intellectual  being.  I  do  not  think  that  a  German  is 
a  better  man  than  an  Englishman  ;  but  I  draw  this  distinc- 
tion between  them,  that  when  the  German  leaves  school 
he  begins  to  educate  himself,  but  the  Englishman  does 
not;  for,  as  soon  as  he  casts  off  the  shackles  of  school,  he 
learns  nothing  more,  unless  he  is  forced  to,  and  if  he 
is  forced  to  do  it,  he  will  then  beat  the.  German.  An 
Englishman  acts  well  when  he  is  put  under  compulsion 
by  circumstances. 


194  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP.         In    executing-   the  works    that   had  to   be 
XIV.  ^ 

— ■ — '  effected  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  it  was 
to  be  expected  that  the  engineers,  the  con- 
tractors, and  the  agents  should  be  led  to 
consider  the  various  contrasts  to  be  found 
between  American  and  Canadian  work,  and 
British  work.  It  was  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  railways  that  those  who  had  to 
conduct  British  enterprise  abroad,  found  them- 
selves in  contact  with  men  of  their  own  race. 
Mr.  Rowan's  reflections  upon  this  matter  are 
very  interesting  and  valuable.  In  giving  his 
evidence  upon  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway, 
he  was  questioned  minutely  upon  various 
points  connected  with  the  relation  of  British 
workmanship  to  foreign  workmanship  gener- 
ally, and  especially  of  that  part  of  workman- 
ship which  relates  to  invention.  It  was  put 
to  him  that  as  labour  is  much  more  costly 
in  America  than  in  England,  a  stimulus 
was   given    to    American    manufacturers    to 

Rowan's 

opinion  on  produce    articles    which    involved    the   least 

English 

a"d  employment  of  labour.     To  this  he  entirely 

Foreign  ^       "^ 

labour.  assented.  It  was  then  suggested  to  him 
that  technical  instruction  is  more  developed 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  1 95 

abroad  than  in  E norland,  and  his  reply  was  as     chap. 

^      .  ..  ^  ^  XIV. 

follows  : — '  My  conviction  is  this,  that  we  ^- — ^ — 
always  in  England  excel  the  continental 
producers  in  the  manufacture  of  any  material 
that  has  once  been  established  ;  but  I  think 
that  improvements  are  most  likely  to  originate 
on  the  continent  from  their  greater  theoretical 
knowledge.  I  believe  that  they  possess  much 
higher  theoretical  knowledge  than  we  do,  but 
there  they  stop.  When  a  new  invention  or 
improvement  has  been  established,  and  comes 
out  of  the  dominion  of  rigid  theory  into  that 
of  practice,  then  I  am  of  opinion  that  the 
Englishman  always  beats  the  foreigner.' 

As  an  instance  of  an  invention  which  has 
been  largely  used  in  America,  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  labour  there,  Mr.  Rowan 
mentions  the  Steam  Excavator,  and  he  says  The  steam 

,  t      ,  excavator. 

that : — 

Towards  the  last,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme 
cost  of  labour,  we  employed  steam  excavators,  not 
because  they  were  cheaper  than  men,  but  because  they 
supplied  the  want  of  labour,  and  enabled  us  to  get  on 
faster.  A  steam  excavator  is  found  to  be  profit- 
able only  in  very  hard  material,  such  as  hard  pan, 
in  which  a  very  large  force  is  required  to  excavate. 
In  lighter  materials  such  as  sand  or  gravel,  it  is  more 
o  2 


196  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 


CHAP,      expensive  to  use  than  men  at  five  or  six  shillings  a  day. 
•  .    We  used  them  notwithstanding,   even  in  filling  ballast, 


and  1  undertook  a  large  quantity  of  ballasting  myself  in 
that  way. 
Scarcity  of  This  Scarcity  of  labour  gave  rise  to  great 
difficulty  in  the  execution  of  the  railway 
works  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Line.  Wages 
were  very  high.  A  man  who  received  five 
shillings  in  England  per  diem,  would  receive 
seven  shillings  and  sixpence  In  Canada, 
This  difference  in  the  rate  of  wages  was 
caused  not  only  by  the  scarcity  of  labour,  but 
by  the  circumstance  that,  In  Canada,  out-of- 
door  work  is  Impossible  for  four  months  in 
the  year. 
]\rr.  When  Mr.  Brassey  went  over  to  Canada 

schemJfor  to  Inspect  the  works,  he  suggested  that  they 
coming  it.    should  endeavour  to  bring  up  a  large  body  of 
French  Canadians  from  Lower  Canada.    This 
suggestion  was    carried    Into    effect   by   Mr. 
Rowan.  A  large  number  of  Lower  Canadians 
were    brought  up  In  organized  gangs,  each 
having  an  Englishman  or  an  American  as  their 
Wages       leader.    These  gangers  received  a  guinea  a 
Lower°       Week    for    each    man    they   brought.     The 

Canadians.    —^.^...  ^    ^ 

French  Canadians,  however,  except  lor  very 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  1 97 

liorht  work,  were  almost  useless.     They  had     chap. 

^  *  .         -^  XIV. 

not  physical  strength  for  anything  like  heavy  ^ — ^ — - 

work. 

They  could  ballast,  but  they  could  not  excavate.  They 
could  not  even  ballast  as  the  English  navvy  does,  con- 
tinuously working  at  '  filling '  for  the  whole  day.  The  only 
way  in  which  they  could  be  worked  was  by  allowing  them 
to  fill  the  wagons,  and  then  ride  out  with  the  ballast 
train  to  the  place  where  the  ballast  was  tipped,  giving 
them  an  opportunity  of  resting.  Then  the  empty  wagons 
went  back  again  to  be  filled  ;  and  so,  alternately  resting 
during  the  work,  in  that  way,  they  did  very  much  more. 
They  could  work  fast  for  ten  minutes  and  they  were  *  done.' 
This  was  not  through  idleness,  but  physical  weakness. 
They  are  small  men,  and  they  are  a  class  who  are  not 
well  fed.  They  live  entirely  on  vegetable  food,  and  they 
scarcely  ever  taste  meat. 

These  men,  however,  though  their  powers 
of  work  were  but  feeble,  proved  to  be  of  great 
use,  inasmuch  as  their  coming  prevented  the 
stalwart  men  from  leaving. 

Mr.    Brassey's    main    object    in   going   to  Mr. 
Canada  was  a  financial  one.     The  Canadian  reason  for 
Government    had    lent    three    millions     of  America. 
money  to  the  Grand  Trunk  Company ;  and 
these     three     millions    had     a    priority    of 
interest  over  all  other  claims  upon  the  shares. 
Mr.    Brassey   succeeded    in    persuading   the 


198  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP.    Canadian  Government  to  remit  the  priority 

XIV.  ^  ^ 


of  their  claims,  which  proved  a  great  assist- 
ance to  the  Company. 

In  considering  the  difficulties  which  attend 
any  railway  enterprise,  the  first  thing  to  be 
noticed  is  the  nature  of  the  ground  through 
which  the  railway  has  to  pass.  Another  diffi- 
culty, however,  may  be  occasioned  by  the 
nature  of  the  adjacent  country.  In  the  con- 
struction of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  of 
Canada,  this  second  difficulty  must  have  been 
very  great,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
conditions  of  the  country  through  which  the 
railway  had  to  pass,  were  such,  that  a  third 
of  it  passed  through  cultivated  ground,  and 
the  other  two  thirds  through  forests.  It 
may  easily  be  imagined  what  difficulties 
this  created  in  the  way  of  housing  men, 
procuring  provisions,  and  bringing  these  pro- 
visions within  reach  for  daily  consumption. 


%^ 


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'^^"«'^'f.'liliiifli^'^f'^'"t' 


[     199    ] 


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T 


CHAPTER   XV. 

GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  (continued). 

\THE    VICTORIA   BRIDGE.-\ 

(a.d.  1854-1860.) 

HE  following  account  of  the  difficulties 
which   had   to  be  encountered  in  con- 


CHAP. 
XV. 


structing  the  Victoria  Bridge,  of  how  these  The 

^.  .f,       .   ,  Victoria 

difficulties  were  surmounted,  and  of  the  Bridge. 
successful  issue  of  the  undertaking  as  a  great 
work  of  construction,  has,  with  very  little 
alteration  and  abridgment  on  my  part,  been 
taken  from  a  paper  written  by  Mr.  Hodges. 
It  will  be  duly  valued  by  the  reader,  as  a 
succinct  and  complete  narrative  of  the  con- 
struction of  one  of  the  most  admirable  works 
which  have  ever  been  accomplished  by 
British  skill  and  enterprise  in  our  Colonies. 

The  difficulties    connected    with    the  con- 
struction   of    the   Victoria    Bridge,    and    the 


200  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 

CHAP,  doubts  entertained  as  to  its  practicability, 
' — ' — '  even  after  the  inauguration  of  the  Company, 
induced  the  Board  of  Directors  to  ask  Mr. 
Robert  Stephenson  to  examine  and  report 
upon  the  design,  which  he  did  in  the  summer 
of  1853,  visiting  Canada  for  that  purpose. 
The  structure,  as  it  at  present  exists,  was 
carried  out  from  the  designs  of  Mr.  Stephen- 
son and  Mr.  Ross,  and  under  their  joint 
responsibihty. 
Difficulties  '  The  site  of  the  bridge  is  at  the  lower  end 
of  a  small  lake,  called  La  Prairie  Basin,  which 
is  situated  about  one  mile  above  the  entrance 
to  the  canal,  at  the  west  end  of  Montreal 
Harbour.  At  this  point  the  Saint  Lawrence 
is  8,660  feet  from  shore  to  shore,  or  nearly 
a  mile  and  three  quarters  wide.  The  most 
serious  difficulty  in  the  construction  of  the 
Victoria  Bridge,  arose  from  the  accumulation 
The  ice  on  of  the  ice  in  the  winter  months.     Ice  beg-ins 

the  Saint 


in  con- 
structing 
the  bridge 


i=> 


Lawrence,  to  form  in  the  Saint  Lawrence  in  December. 
Thin  ice  first  appears  in  quiet  places,  where 
the  current  is  least  felt.  As  winter  advances, 
*  anchor'  or  ground  ice  comes  down  the 
stream  in  vast  quantities.     This  anchor  ice 


Anchor 
ice. 


THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA,  201 


appears  In  rapid  currents,  and  attaches  itself 
to  the  rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  in  the 
form  of  a  spongy  substance.  Immense  quan- 
tities accumulate  in  an  inconceivably  short 
time,  increasing  until  the  mass  is  several  feet 
thick.  A  very  slight  thaw,  even  that  pro- 
duced by  a  bright  sunshine  at  noon,  disengages 
this  mass,  when,  rising  to  the  surface,  it 
passes  down  the  river  with  the  current.  This 
species  of  ice  appears  to  grow  only  in  the 
vicinity  of  rapids,  or  where  the  water  has 
become  aerated  by  the  rapidity  of  the  current 
Anchor  ice  sometimes  accumulates  at  the  foot 
of  the  rapids  in  such  quantities  as  to  form  a 
bar  across  the  river,  some  miles  in  extent, 
keeping  the  water  several  feet  above  the 
ordinary  level. 

'  The  accumulation  of  ice  continues  for 
several  weeks,  until  the  river "  is  quite  full. 
This  causes  a  general  rising  of  the  water, 
until  large  masses  float,  and  moving  farther 
down  the  river,  unite  with  accumulations 
previously  grounded,  and  thus  form  another 
barrier;  'packing'  in  places  to  a  height  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet. 


CHAP. 
XV. 


202  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 

CHAP.         <  As  the  winter  advances,  the  lakes  become 

A.  V. 

""^  '  frozen  over.  The  ice  then  ceases  to  come 
down,  and  the  water,  in  the  river,  gradually 
subsides,  till  it  finds  its  ordinary  winter  level, 
which  is  some  twelve  feet  above  its  height  in 
Ice  bridge,  summer.  The  "  ice  bridge,"  or  solid  field  of 
ice  across  the  river,  becomes  formed  for  the 
winter  early  in  January.  By  the  middle  of 
March  the  sun  becomes  very  powerful  at  mid- 
day, and  the  warm  heavy  rains  rot  the  ice. 
The  ice,  when  it  becomes  thus  weakened,  is 
easily  broken  up  by  the  winds,  particularly  at 
those  parts  of  the  lakes  where,  from  the  great 
depth  of  water,  they  are  not  completely 
frozen  over.  This  ice,  coming  down  over  the 
rapids,  chokes  up  the  channels  again,  and 
causes  a  rise  of  the  river,  as  in  early  winter. 
Construe-  *  I^i  Order  to  avoid  the  dangers  consequent 
tiiT  ^  on  these  operations  of  nature,  the  stone  piers 
Bii'dge.^  of  the  Victoria  Bridge  were  placed  at  wide 
intervals  apart ;  each  pier  being  of  the  most 
substantial  character,  and  having  a  large 
wedge-shaped  cut-water  of  stone  work, 
slanting  towards  the  current  and  presenting  an 
angle  to  the  advancing  ice  sufficient  to  separate 


The  piers. 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  203 

and  fracture  it,  as  It  rises  against  the  piers.  ™^)^' 
The  piers  of  the  bridge  were  in  fact  designed 
to  answer  the  double  purpose  of  carrying  the 
tubes,  and  of  resisting  the  pressure  of  the  ice. 
In  each  of  these  respects  they  have  fully 
answered  the  important  objects  sought  to  be 
attained. 

*  It  was  the  duty  of  Mr.  Hodges,  as  the 
agent  of  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts, 
to  find  suitable  stone  for  the  Victoria 
Bridge.  The  best  stone  was  found  on 
lands  in  possession  of  the  Indians,  and  it 
became  necessary  to  enter  into  negotiations 
with  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe  to  whom  the  land 
belonged. 

*A  conference  was  arranged  to  take  place  a  coimcU 

of  Indian 

on  a  Sunday,  after  church,  that  being  the  chiefs, 
only  time  when  a  number  of  them  could  be 
brought  together,  sufficient  for  the  transaction 
of  so  important  a  business.  The  assembled 
chiefs,  thirteen  in  number,  were  not  arrayed 
in  paint  and  feathers,  after  the  manner  of 
Cooper's  heroes,  but  were  miserable,  dirty- 
looking  old  men,  with  long  hair,  and  they  all 
smoked  short  clay  pipes.     At  first  they  were 


204  THE    GRAND    TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA, 


CHAP     disinclined  to  treat  with  Mr.   Hodges,  on  the 


ground  of  his  extrejne  youth.  But,  upon 
being  assured  that  he  was  not  less  than 
forty,  their  objections  were  overcome,  and  no 
further  difficulties  were  experienced  in  the 
conduct  of  the  negotiations. 

The  stone  '  The  stouc  quarries  thus  obtained  were 
situated  at  Point  Saint  Claire,  sixteen  miles 
west  of  Montreal,  and  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  track  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway. 
The  stone  is  a  very  hard  limestone,  and, 
when  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  becomes  of 
a  light  grey  colour, 

*  The  Saint  Lawrence,  where  it  is  crossed 
by  the  Victoria  Bridge,  varies  from  five  to 
fifteen  feet  in  depth  during  the  summer,  and 
its   bed    is    of    limestone    rock,    with    large 

Floating     boulders  on    the   surface.      This  led  to  the 

dams  used.  .  -     ^         .  ,  i  •    i 

contrivance  oi  noatmg  dams,  which  were 
warped  into  position,  and  scuttled  immedi- 
ately upon  the  opening  of  the  navigation, 
and  which  were  pumped  out  and  taken 
back  to  a  place  of  safety  before  the  ice 
came  down.  These  "caissons"  were  i88 
feet  in  length,  and   90  feet  in  width.       Their 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  205 


bows     were     wedge-shaped,     to     stem     the     chap. 


current,   and   the   stern   was    made    so  that  ^^~~^' — ' 
it  could  be  removed,  when  the  masonry  was 
complete,  thus  enabling  the  floating  dam  to 
be  shifted  to  various  positions. 

*  The  first  caisson  was  towed  to  its  position  Com- 

mence- 
On  May  24,    1854.  mentof 

the  works. 

*  The  first  working  season  at  the  Victoria 
Bridge  was  a  period  of  difficulty,  trouble  and 
disaster.  The  agents  of  the  contractors  had 
no  experience  of  the  climate.  There  were 
numerous  strikes  among  the  workmen.  The  strikes. 
cholera  committed  dreadful  ravages  In  the 
neighbourhood.     In  one  case,  out  of  a  gang 

of  two  hundred  men,  sixty  were  sick  at  one 
time,  many  of  whom  ultimately  died.  After 
the  harvest,  towards  September,  the  cholera 
at  length  disappeared ;  labour  became  more 
plentiful ;  and  the  work  in  consequence  pro- 
ceeded more  satisfactorily. 

*  In  the  year  1855  gi*eat  difficulties  were  Financial 
experienced  from  the  financial  state  of  the 
Company,  and  the  rise  in  the  value  of  money, 
caused  by  the  Russian  War ;  but  the  works 

were    nevertheless    prosecuted    with    much 


206  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 

CHAP     spirit;  and  the  abutment  on  the  south  side  of 
*"^"''      '  the  river  was  commenced. 

*  Before  leaving  England  for  Canada,  Mr. 
Hodges  made  a  sketch  and  description  of  a 
steam-traveller.  One  of  the  most  eminent 
firms  in  England  was  consulted  and  employed 
to  accomplish  what  was  required,  and,  after 
two  years  of  experiments  and  an  expenditure 
of  some  thousands  of  pounds,  a  machine  was 
sent  out,  which  could  never  be  made  to  do 
very  much  more  than  move  itself  about ;  and 
which,  after  various  fruitless  attempts  to  make 
it  available,  was  thrown  aside,  and  never  used 
afterwards.  In  the  meantime  the  same  des- 
criptions and  drawings  were  shown  to  Mr. 

y^  Chaffey,  who  was  one  of  the  sub-contractors, 

Seam  ^'^  ^ud  had  been  in  Canada  a  sufficient  length  of 
time  to  free  his  genius  from  the  cramped  ideas 
of  early  life;  and  during  the  winter  of  1854 
and  1855,  the  rough,  ugly,  but  invaluable 
machine  was  constructed,  and  in  the  sub- 
sequent spring  was  in  full  work. 

*  This  celebrated  steam-traveller,  as  con- 
structed by  Mr.  Chaffey,  was  erected  at  the 
junction  of  the  Champlain  Railway  with  the 


*  traveller. 


THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA.  207 

temporary  track  for  the  bridge  works.  B}^  It  ^^y^* 
the  whole  of  the  stone  for  the  works  on  the  "  '  ' 
south  side  of  the  river  was  shifted.  This 
traveller  had  a  span  of  sixty  feet,  and  ran 
along  rails  supported  on  gawntrees,^  1,300 
feet  In  length  and  50  feet  In  height,  between 
which  the  stone  was  sorted  and  stacked 
ready  for  work.  This  machine  unloaded  the 
wagons,  and  stacked  with  the  greatest  ease 
the  largest  blocks  of  stone,  some  of  which 
weighed  ten  tons.  Over  70,000  tons  of  stone 
were  twice  moved  by  this  machine.  Only 
one  man  was  required  upon  the  traveller, 
while  one  other  could  stack  the  stone. 

*  And    here  it   may  not   be   out  of  place  The 

emigrant 

to  observe  again    concerning   the   emigrant  mechanic 

in  his 

mechanic,  who  in  his  new  home  so  often  new  home. 
has  to  perform  work  without  either  proper 
materials  or  appliances,  and  is  so  often 
driven  to  contrive  simple  labour-saving 
machinery,  how  superior  he  becomes  to  the 
man  he  was  when  he  first  left  home. 
It   is    curious    to    remark  how   a    plodding 

*  A  kind  of  permanent  timber  scaffolding. 


208  THE    GRAND   TRUNK  RAILWAY  OF  CANADA. 

^^^^'  man  of  this  description,  shut  out,  as  he  is 
^"  '  usually  considered  to  be,  from  all  means  of 
gaining  information  or  knowledge,  will  be- 
come, in  a  short  space  of  time,  self-reliant, 
competent,  and  able.  He  may  have  scarcely 
any  means  or  appliances  at  his  disposal  to 
accomplish  that  which,  a  few  years  before 
when  at  home,  with  everything  at  hand,  he 
would  after  repeated  attempts  have  aban- 
doned as  impracticable. 

*  This  is  only  one  illustration  amongst  many 
which  could  be  adduced  showing  the  develop- 
ment of  the  talents  and  skill  of  the  members  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  staff;  men  who,  when  they  left 
home,  gave  little  evidence  of  being  above  the 
ordinary  mark,  but  who,  in  a  foreign  land. 
In  difficulties  proved  themselves  full  of  enter- 
prise and  resource. 
Shortness        *  The  shortness  of  the  working  season  in 

of  season        ^^^,.11  11  r      • 

for  labour.  Canada  mvolved  much  loss  of  time.  It  was 
seldom  that  the  setting  of  the  masonry  was 
fairly  commenced  before  the  middle  of 
August,  and  it  was  quite  certain  that  all 
work  must  cease  at  the  end  of  November. 
'  Notwithstanding  these  disadvantages,  the 


FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES.  145 

take  the  lead  In  commercial  enterprise.     And     chap. 
in  the  year   1866  the  difficulties  which  Mr.  "      '      ' 
Brassey  had  to  encounter,  advanced  in  a  com- 
pact body  against  him.     I  will  recount  them 
one  by  one. 

In    the   first   place,    there   were  liabilities  victoria 

Docks. 

in  connection  with  the  Victgrla  Docks,  to  the 
amount  of  600,000/. 

Then    there  were    the    Danish  contracts.  Danish 

_  .  ..  .       contracts. 

In  these  contracts  for  certam  railways  m 
Denmark  Mr.  Brassey  was  associated  with 
Messrs.  Peto  and  Betts.  The  partners  had 
obtained  a  loan  from  the  General  Credit 
Company  of  300,000/.,  upon  an  agreement  to 
pay  it  back  at  the  end  of  three  years.  This 
sum  became  due  in  1866,  at  the  time  of  the 
fallureof  Sir  Morton  Peto  and  Mr.  Betts.  The 
firm  of  Messrs.  Peto,  Brassey  and  Betts  had 
also  at  that  time  large  engagements  out- 
standing for  rails  for  the  Danish  contracts, 
involving  very  heavy  liabilities.  In  fine, 
their  liability  for  the  Danish  works  may  be 
stated  at  about  800,000/. 

Then  there  was  the   Lemberg  and  Czer-  and"-^'^^ 
nowitz  line.     Mr.  Brassey  had  received  bonds  RaliwaJ.'  ^ 


146  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 

from  the  Company  to  the  amount  of 
1,200,000/. ;  but,  at  the  moment,  these  bonds 
were  worth  very  Httle  more  than  so  much 
waste  paper.  An  effort  was  made  to  place 
them  in  a  foreign  market,  which  succeeded 
only  to  the  extent  of  13,000/.  ;  and  from  that 
time  they  were  perfectly  unsaleable.  Mean- 
while Mr.  Brassey  had  to  pay  from  40,000/. 
to  50,000/  a  month  for  wages  alone  on  that 
line. 
Eves'  am         There  was  also  the  Evesham  and  Redditch 

and  Red-  i  •    i       t\  /r        t>  •      i 

ditch  Railway  for  which  Mr.  Brassey  was  entirely 

Railway.  , 

paid  in  shares ;  and  I  must  also  mention  the 
alr^^^^  Warsaw  and  Terespol  Railway,  the  payment 
Railway!     ^^r  which  was  to    a   great    extent    made    in 

bonds  of  which  very  few  could  be  sold  before 

the  line  was  opened. 
kn?"^  The    Queensland  Railway   also    involved 

Railway.     \^^2.vy  liabilities,  and  until  the  settlement  of 

the  account  by  the  government  of  the  colony 

some   time  later,   nothing  could  be  counted 

upon  from  this  source. 
Great  Then  there  were  several  contracts  in  the 

Western 

Branches.    West  of  England,  for  lines  in  connection  with 
the  Great  Western  Company,  such   as   the 


FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES.  I47 

Wellington  and  Drayton  line,  the  Nantwich    chap. 
and  Market  Drayton  line,  and  many  others.  ""^^^      ' 
For  these  works   Mr.    Brassey  was  paid   in 
the  shares  of  the  Company,  which   were  at 
that  juncture  totally  unsaleable.     I  may  also 
mention   that   the    Great    Eastern    Railway  Great 

Eastern 

Stock,  largely  possessed  by  Mr.  Brassey,  was  Railway. 
entirely  useless  as  a  financial  resource. 

The  list  of  difficulties  is  not  yet  complete  :  Barrow 

Docks 

there   was    also    a   heavy  loss   going  on    at  and 

Runcorn 

the   Barrow  Docks  and  at  Runcorn  Bridge,  Bridge. 
amounting  to  44,000/. 

In  fact,  the  liabilities  coming  upon  Mr. 
Brassey  in  that  eventful  year  were  so  heavy 
that  his  property,  of  every  kind  whatsoever, 
was  '  largely  committed.'  Such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Brassey  was  sure  to  have  made  devoted 
friends  ;  and  they  were  not  wanting  to  him 
on  this  occasion.  I  must  especially  mention 
Mr.   Wagstaff,  who  was  of  eminent  service  Mr. 

^  Wagstaff 

to   him.       He   had    been  for  many   years  a  ^ids  Mr. 

•^      ^  Brassey. 

most  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Brassey's,  whose 
confidence  in  his  judgment,  and  reliance 
upon  his  friendship,  were  such  that  Mr. 
Brassey  could   not   bear   to   undertake  any- 

L  2 


148  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 


thing,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  prosecute  any  under- 
taking, without  immediately  informing  Mr. 
Wagstaff,  and  seeking  for  his  aid  and 
counsel.  It  is  needless  to  give  an  account  of 
all  the  details  of  those  transactions  by  which 
Mr.  Brassey  was  enabled  to  push  his  way 
through  his  great  difficulties  during  that 
critical  period.  One  remarkable  circumstance, 
however,  deserves  special  notice  —  namely, 
Compie-  that  in  spite  of  these  financial  difficulties, 
Lembei^r     he  persevered  throughout   that  year  in   his 

line. 

old  system  of  bringing  works  rapidly  to  a 
conclusion.  Mr.  Tapp  says,  *  that  Mr. 
Brassey  was  recommended  by  Mr.  Glyn, 
Mr.  Wagstaff,  and  indeed  by  almost  all 
his  friends,  to  delay  the  Lemberg  and  Czer- 
nowitz  works.'  The  reader  will  remember 
that  these  required  from  40,000/.  to  50,000/. 
a  month  for  wages.  'Still  Mr.  Brassey  would 
go  on.  He  would  not  stop  the  work;  and  it 
was  a  most  fortunate  thing  that  he  carried 
them  on,  because  he  was  paying  the  interest 
of  the  shareholders,  which  amounted  to  over 
120,000/  a  year.  He  had  to  pay  them  until 
the  line  was  opened,  when  the  Government 


FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES.  I49 

guarantee  came  into  force;  and  Instead  of  chap. 
being  finished  in  January,  it  was  finished  in  "-  ■  ' 
the  previous  September  or  October — four 
months  before  the  contract  time,  and  that 
added  very  much  to  his  prestige  in 
Austria.'  It  not  only  added  to  his  prestige, 
but  it  brought  into  play  large  funds 
which  had  hitherto  been  unavailable,  for  the 
Anglo-Austrian  Bank  now  found  that  they  a.d.  1866. 
could  do  a  profitable  business  by  selling 
the  bonds,  of  which  Mr.  Brassey  possessed 
more  than  a  million.  Certainly  Mr.  Brassey's 
bold,  we  may  almost  say  audacious,  perse- 
verance in  his  accustomed  course  of  finishing 
w^ork  as  quickly  as  possible,  at  any  loss,  and 
at  almost  any  hazard,  was  amply  successful  on 
this  critical  occasion. 

The  difficulties  under  which  this  Austrian 
line  was  completed  were  very  great.  These 
were  not  merely  financial,  but  such  as  must 
arise  from  a  state  of  war. 

Mr.   Brassey   was  admirably  seconded  in  Chevalier 
his  efforts  to  complete  this  railwav  bv  Mr.   ^eim's 

^  ^       ^  difficulties. 

Victor    Ofenheim,^    director-general    of    the 
^  Now  the  Chevalier  d'Ofenheim. 


war 


150  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 

CHAP.    Company,    who   also    acted   as    one   of   Mr. 

■X.. 

^ • —    Brassey's    advisers    on    Austrian    questions. 

in  carrying  'p^g  works  wcre    at   that   time    pro^rressinof 

the  money  1        &  o 

durn^ "h"  chiefly  at  Lemberg,  five  hundred  miles  from 
Vienna.  The  difficulty  was  how  to  convey 
the  money  from  Vienna  to  Lemberg  to  pay 
the  men.  The  intervening  country  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Austrian  and  Prussian  armies, 
who  were  on  each  side  of  the  line,  that  is  on 
that  part  between  Cracow  and  Lemberg  ;  for 
Mr.  Ofenheim  had  succeeded  without  much 
difficulty  in  getting  the  money  carried  on  the 
Northern  Carl- Lud wig  Railway  as  far  as 
Cracow.  However  he  was  full  of  energy, 
and  was  determined  to  get  on  somehow  or 
other.  They  said  that  there  was  no  engine ; 
that  they  had  all  been  taken  off;  but  he  went 
and  found  an  old  engine  in  a  shed.  Next  he 
wanted  an  engine-driver,  and  he  found  one, 
but  the  man  said  he  would  not  go,  for  he  had 
a  wife  and  children;  but  Mr.  Ofenheim  said, 
*  If  you  will  come,  I  will  give  you  so  many 
hundred  florins,  and  if  you  get  killed  I  will 
provide  for  your  wife  and  family.'  They 
jumped  on   to   the  old    engine   and  got  up 


FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES,  151 

the  steam.  They  then  started  and  went  at  chap. 
the  rate  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  an  hour,  and  '  '  ' 
passing  between  the  sentinels  of  the  opposing 
armies  ;  and  Mr.  Ofenheim  states  that  they, 
were  so  surprised  that  they  had  not  time  to 
shoot  him.  His  only  fear  was  that  there 
might  be  a  rail  up  somewhere.  But  he  got 
to  Lemberg,  and  that  was  the  saving  point  The  'pay' 
of  the  line  — they  made  the  'pay' — otherwise 
the  men  would  have  gone  away  to  their 
homes,  and  the  line  would  have  been  left 
unfinished  through  the  winter,  and  they 
would  have  had  to  wait  until  the  next  spring 
before  they  could  have  returned  again,  but 
that  difficulty  being  overcome  got  the  line 
duly   opened.     Mr.    Ofenheim's   conduct  on  Mr.Bi-assey 

receives 

this  occasion   is   a   notable   instance   of  the  the  Cross 

.  TV  /r        -r»  '1  of  the  Iron 

miiuence  Mr.  Brassey  exercised  over  those  Crown. 
who  worked  with  him,  as  well  as  those  who 
worked  for  him :  for  Mr.  Ofenheim  had 
become  a  devoted  friend,  as  well  as  a  skilful 
and  daring  representative  of  Mr.  Brassey. 
The  Emperor  of  Austria,  with  that  apprecia- 
tion shown  by  monarchs  for  devoted  service 
— a  thing  they  naturally  very  much  approve 


152  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES. 

CHAP  of — was  much  struck  by  what  he  had  heard 
^- — ' —  of  this  daring  feat  in  getting  to  Lemberg, 
and  sent  for  Mr.  Ofenheim,  and  asked  this 
pertinent  question :  *  Who  is  this  Mr. 
Brassey,  this  Enghsh  contractor,  for  whom 
men  are  to  be  found  who  work  with  such 
zeal,  and  risk  their  Hves  ? '  The  answer 
must  have  been  satisfactory,  for  the  Emperor 
said  Mr.  Brassey  must  be  a  very  powerful 
man,  and  sent  him  the  Cross  of  the  Iron 
Crown. 


[     153    ] 


CHAP. 
XI. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

MR.   BRASSETS  WEALTH. 

AFTER  giving  an  account  of  the 
financial  difficulties  which  Mr.  Brassey 
had  to  encounter  at  a  late  period  of  his 
career,  it  will  be  well  to  say  a  few  words 
about  the  financial  result,  which,  as  the  world 
knows,  was  a  very  successful  one. 

The  acquisition  of  a  great  fortune  by  any 
man  is  not  a  thing  which  is  intrinsically 
pleasing  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  Accord- 
ingly, they  have  invented  divers  sayings 
against  the  acquirers  of  large  fortunes  ;  such 
as  that  Arabic  one,  *  Happy  are  the  sons  of  An 
those  fathers  who  do  not  go  to  a  good  place/  Proverb, 
meaning  thereby  that  great  riches  are  seldom 
inherited  from  those  who  have  gained  them 
with  entirely  clean  hands. 


154  MR.  BRASS  FY'S    WEALTH. 

The  more  just  observers  of  mankind  have 
been  wont  to  say,  that  their  fellow-men  are 
seldom  more  innocuously  employed  than  in 
amassing  wealth. 

The  truth  is,  that  whatever  fortunes  Mr. 
Brassey  and  others  of  his  calling  accumulate 
are  seldom  or  never  ascertained  and  re- 
alized until  their  death,  or  until  misfortune 
overtakes  them  in  their  lifetime.  The  capi- 
tal that  Mr.  Brassey  dealt  with  was  never 
idle.  As  soon  as  any  part  of  it  ceased  to 
be  wanted  for  one  great  work,  it  was  required 
for  another,  which  either  had  to  be  com- 
menced or  was  entering  into  a  phase  of  full 
iTowMr.    activity.     It  must  be  recollected,  that  a  main 

Brassey 

employed    objcct  with  Mr.  Brasscy  was  to  furnish  suffi- 

his  capital. 

cient  work  for  all  that  staff  of  skilled  agents 
and  for  those  large  bodies  of  workmen  whom 
he  had  collected  around  him.  He  had  never 
the  feeling  of  being  a  man  of  realized  for- 
tune— a  millionaire,  as  we  term  it 

Of  the  numerous  acts  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
kindness  and  generosity,  one  may  be  quoted 
as  an  instance,  viz.  that  of  one  of  his  old 
agents,  of  much   merit  and  worth,  who  had 


MR.  BRASSEY'S   WEALTH.  1 55 


unfortunately  lost  the  whole  of  a  competent    chap. 
independence,  which  he  had  acquired  in  Mr.  ^-^"^^ 
Brassey's  service.      Mr.   Brassey,  anxious  to 
give  him  the  opportunity  of  recovering  him- 
self,  confided  to   him  several  missions   con- 
nected with  new  projects.      In  the  last  of  these  An  in- 
stance of 
the,   agent    was    taken    suddenly    ill    before  Mr. 

Brassey's 

reaching  his  destination,  and  died  immediately  liberality. 
after  his  arrival ;  almost  at  the  very  same 
time,  his  wife,  whom  he  had  left  in  good 
health  in.  England,  succumbed  to  a  still  more 
sudden  attack.  A  family  of  six  children 
were  thus  left  orphans,  and  without  any  sort 
of  provision.  Mr.  Brassey  had  already  made 
an  advance  of  several  thousand  pounds,  for 
which  he  held  as  security  a  policy  of  insurance 
on  the  life  of  his  agent.  This  he  imme- 
diately relinquished  in  favour  of  the  children, 
and  further  headed,  with  a  substantial  sum,  a 
list  of  subscriptions  made  by  the  friends  of 
the  deceased  for  the  orphans. 

Though  very  liberal  in  relieving  all  cases  of 
distress,  which  came    within  his   immediate 
cognizance,^  and  especially  those  which   ori- 
*  See  Letter  4,  in  Appendix. 


ments. 


156  MR.  BRASS EY'S    WEALTH. 

CHAP,    ginated   amongst  persons  of  his  own  staff, 

XI. 

"-'  ^  -^  his  name  does  not  figure  largely  in  sub- 
scriptions to  public  charities.  He  had 
other  uses  for  his  money,  and  these  other 
uses  were  continually  pressing  upon  him, 
but  some  notion  may  be  formed  of  Mr. 
Brassey's  habitual  liberality,  when  I  state 
that  It  is  estimated  that  during  his  lifetime  he 
Tempo-  gave  away  about  200,000/.  Occasionally, 
barrass-  in  the  course  of  his  life,  as  happens  to 
most  men  of  very  extended  affairs,  he  was 
greatly  embarrassed,  for  the  moment,  to 
provide  small  sums,  as  we  must  call  them — 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand  pounds,  for  instance 
— which  were  suddenly  and  urgently  wanted 
in  his  business. 

There  were  times  at  which,  if  he  had  died, 
he  would  have  been  found,  comparatively 
speaking,  a  poor  man.  A  man  so  situated 
can  scarcely  feel  himself  to  be  the  possessor 
of  millions,  even  though  he  might  know  that 
if  his  property  were  favourably  realized  at 
some  particular  time,  it  would  amount  to 
millions. 

The  acquisition,  however,  of  such  a  fortune 


MR.  BRASSEY'S    WEALTH.  1 5/ 


as  Mr.  Brassey  left  behind  him  requires  some    chap. 
explanation,  though,  as  will  be  seen,  it  needs  ^-^     ' 
no  apology. 

There  are  two  causes  to  be  eiven  which  a  cause 

^  of  Mr. 

led  to  the  accumulation  of  the  wealth  that  Mr.  Brasse/s 

wealth. 

Brassey  left  behind  him.  One  was  the  small 
extent  of  his  personal  expenses.  He  was  a  man 
who  hated  all  show,  luxury,  and  ostentation. 
He  kept  up  but  a  moderate  establishment, 
which  the  increase  of  his  means  never  in- 
duced him  to  extend. 

The  second  and  far  more  important  cause  Another 

cause. 

was  the  immense  extent  of  his  business. 
That  extent  was  gained  not  only  by  his 
intellectual  qualities,  but  by  his  moral  quali- 
fications. Other  men  were  very  desirous 
of  dealing  with  a  man  who  was  not  only  of 
known  skill  in  his  work,  but  who  was  of 
good  repute  for  uprightness,  for  promptitude, 
and  for  going  through  thoroughly  with  any- 
thing which  he  had  once  begun.  He 
never  haggled  or  disputed,  or  sought  by 
delay  to  weary  people  into  his  terms.  His 
transactions  were  frank,  distinct,  and  rapid  ; 
and  there  was  no  man  who  could  less  abide 


158  MR.  BRASSEY'S   WEALTH. 


CHAP,    any  loss  of  time  in  the  completion  of  any  of 

XI 


his  enterprises.     The  success  of  such  a  per- 
An  enthu-   SOU  IS  almost  inevitable.     As  one  of  his  en- 

siastic 

admirer's     thusiastic  admirers,  who  had  been  employed 

opinion. 

by  him  from  the  first,  and  knew   him  well, 

was    wont  to  say,  '  If    he'd  been  a  parson, 

he'd  have  been  a  bishop  ;  if  a  prize-fighter, 

he  would  have  had  the  belt.' 

Amount  It  was  uot  from  excessive  gains  in  any  one 

of  Mr.  .  ... 

Brassey's     transaction,  or  even  m  several  transactions, 

fortune. 

that  his  fortune  sprang.  It  will,  perhaps, 
surprise  the  reader  to  learn  the  small  per- 
centage of  profit  which  accrued  to  him  from 
all  his  enterprises,  taken  as  a  whole.  It  was, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  three  per  cent.  He  laid 
out  seventy-eight  millions  of  other  people's 
money,  and  upon  that  outlay  retained  about 
two  millions  and  a-half.  The  rest  of  his 
fortune  consisted  of  accumulations. 


[     159    ] 


A 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MR.  BRASSEY'S  CONTRACTS. 
(A.D.  1834-1870.) 

PPEN DICES  are,  I  am  afraid,  in  these    chap. 

XII 

days  of  multitudinous  books  and  easy  ■ r-^— - 

reading,    very   frequently   skipped    even   by  ^i^^teing 
those  persons  who  maybe  considered  diligent  skipped: 
readers,    anxious    thoroughly   to   understand 
everything  about  which  they  read.     I  have,  the  list 
therefore,  resolved  to  put  the  following  Table  tracts 
of  Mr.  Brassey's  Contracts  into  the  body  of  in  the 
this   work,    rather   than    relegate    it    to   the 
doubtful  region  of  appendices. 

It  shows,  more  forcibly  than  any  words  of 
mine  can  show,  how  vast  and  various  were 
the  labours  of  Mr.  Brassey.  Indeed,  I  must 
own,  that  even  after  I  had  endeavoured  to 
follow  closely  the  records  of  his  most  labori- 


l6o  MR,  BRASSEY'S  CONTRACTS. 

CHAP,  ous  life,  I  was  astonished  at  perceiving,  in 
' — '  '  this  condensed  tabulated  form,  how  great  his 
labours  had  been. 

The  reader  will  also  note  how  his  work  gra- 
dually increases  upon  him,  and  will  now  better 
understand  how  Mr.  Brassey's  attention  was, 
by  degrees,  diverted  from  the  actual  super- 
intendence of  one  or  two  works,  to  the 
general  supervision  of  many  great  works 
going  on  at  the  same  time. 

There  were  periods  in  his  career  during 
which  he  and  his  partners  were  giving 
employment  to  80,000  persons,  upon  works 
requiring  seventeen  millions  of  capital  for 
their  completion. 

I  subjoin  a  list  of  Mr.  Brassey's  contracts ; 
for  the  compilation  of  which  I  have  to  thank 
my  friend,  Mr.  Arthur  RIcketts.  So  numerous 
were  the  contracts,  that  he  is  still  uncertain 
whether  there  may  not  be  some  omissions 
hereafter 'to  be  supplied. 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER   CONTRACTS. 


i6i 


TABLE 


RAILWAY    AND    OTHER    CONTRACTS 

COMPLETED  BY  MR.  BRASSEY  BETWEEN  THE  YEARS  1834  AND  187O  ;  TOGETHER  WITH  THE  NAMES  OF  THE 
ENGINEERS  UNDER  WHOSE  DIRECTION  THE  SEVERAL  WORKS  WERE  EXECUTED;  ALSO  THE  PARTNERS, 
IF  ANY,  IN  EACH  ENTERPRISE;  THE  AGENTS  WHO  SUPERINTENDED  THE  WORKS,  AND  THE  MILEAGE 
OF  EACH  CONTRACT. 


I 

Year 

1834 
1835 

T837 
1839 

1841 
1842 
1843 

I  1844 


1845 


Contract 


Branborough  Road  . 

Grand  Junction  Rail-  1 
way         .         .         .  i 

London  and  South-  \ 
ampton  Railway  [ 
(Branches  and  f 

Alaintenance)         .  ] 

Cliester  and  Crewe  ) 
Railway  .         .  j 

Glasgow, Paisley,  and  ) 
Greenock  Railway.  J 

Sheffield  and  Man-  ) 
.     Chester  Railway     .  | 


j  Paris      and      Rouen 
I      Railway 


Orleans      and     Bor- 
deaux Railway 


Rouen    and     Havre  \ 
Railway  .         .  f 


(Lancashire  and  Car- 
lisle Railway 
Colchester    and    Ips- ' 
'j      wich  Railway 
A  Amiens  and  Boulogne 
''a     Railway 

r 

Trent  Valley  Railway 

Chester    and     Holy- 1 
head  Railway         .  J 

Ipswich     and     Bury 

Railway 
Kendal  and  Winder- 
mere Railway 
North  Wales  Mineral 
.    Extension  Railway 


Partner 


Mr.  Mackenzie 


Messrs.    W.    &  E. 
Mackenzie . 


Mr.  Mackenzie 


Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 

Mr.  W.  Mackenzie' 
Mr.  E.  Mackenzie  , 

J  Mr.  Mackenzie 

(  Mr.  Stephenson       \ 

Mr.  Mackenzie 
M!r.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Ogilvie    . 

Mr.  Mackenzie  1 

Mr.  Stephenson  j 

Mr.  Mackenzie  ] 

Mr.  Stephenson  j 


Engineer 


Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S. 


Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,  F.R.S. 
Mr.  Neuman 


Mr.  R.  Stephenson,  M.P., 
F.R.S. 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 
Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 


(Mr.  Locke,  M.  P.,  F.R.S. 
1  Mr.  Neuman 


M.  Pepin  Lehalleur 


Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S.  ) 
Mr.  Neuman  | 


Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

f  Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

1  Mr.  Bruff 

J  RL  Bazaine 

ISirW.  Cubitt,  F.R.S. 

(Mr.  R.  Stephenson.  M.  P. 

Mr.  Bidder  [F.R.S. 

i  Mr.  Gooch 

Mr.  R.  Stephenson,  M.P. 

Mr.  Ross  [F.R.S. 

Mr.  F.  Forster 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Bruff 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 
Mr.  Robertson 


Agent 


Mr,  Ogilvie  and  1 
others    .         .  I 


Mr.  G.  Meakin 

Mr.  Strapp  and  ) 
others    .         .  f 

Mr.  Dent  and  ) 
others    ,         .  J 

'  Mr.  E.  Macken-  , 

zie 
Mr.  J.  Jones        [ 
Mr.  Goodfellow   ( 
Mr.      Day    and  | 

.     others     . 


Mr.  E.  Mackenz 


Mr.  Day 
Mr.  C.  Smith 
Mr.  J.  Jones 
Mr.  Svvanson 
Mr.  Goodfellow 


Mr.  G.  Mould  . 

Mr.  Ogilvie 

Mr.  E.  Mackenzie 

j  Mr.  J.  Jones       "I 
(  Mr.  S.  Horn        | 

Mr.  Woodhouse 

Mr.  Ogilvie 
Mr.  G.  Mould  . 
Mr.  Meakin     , 


58 


M 


l62 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER  CONTRACTS, 


Year 


1845 
cont. 


Contract 


[846 


1847 


Caledonian    Railway 

Cist  Contract) 
Clydesdale    Junction 

Railway 

Greenock  Harbour    . 

I  Scottish  Midland 
I  Junction  Railway  . 
I  Scottish  Central  Rail- 
V    way 

/  Lancashire  and  York- ' 
shire  Railway 

I      (Maintenance) 

Ormskirk  Railway    . 

Shrewsbury  and 

j      Chester  Railway 

\  Mineral  Line  (Wales) 


(^Buckinghamshire 
Railway 

Birkenhead  andChes-  ■" 
ter  Junction  Rail- 
way 

Haughley  and  Nor- 
wich Railway 

Great  Northern  Rail- 
way 


North     Staffordshire ) 
Railway         .         .  ) 

Shrewsbury     Exten- 
sion Railway 

Trent  Valley  Stations 

Blackwall   Extension  \ 

Railway  .         .  ) 

Richmond  and  Wind-  ) 

,^sor  Railway   .         .  f 

Rouen    and    Dieppe ) 

tC    Railway         .         .  [ 


1848 


Chester  Station 

Oswestry         Branch 
Railway 

Loop     Line    (L.     & 
S.  W.  R.)      . 

Caledonian  Railway  ■» 
(2nd  Contract) (Sta-  I 
tions,  Maintenance,  f 
&c  )        .         .         .1 

Glasgow  and  Barhead  ) 

Railway         .         .  I 

!  Barcelona    and    Ma-") 

(^     taro  Railway  .  i 


Q        (  Royston  and  Hitchin 
'^'^^    i     Railway         .        . 


'Shepwreth  Extension ) 
Railway         .        •  \ 
Birkenhead  Docks    . 


Partner 


1850 


North  and  South- 1 
j      Western    Junction  \ 

I  Railway  .  .  ) 
I  Prato     and     Pistoja ) 

IC    Rfulway         .        .j 


Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Mackenzie 
Ml.  Stephenson 


Mr.  Field       . 

Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 


Engineer 


Mr.  Ogi: 


Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 

Mr.  Ogilvie  . 
Mr.  Ogilvie  . 
Mr.  Mackenzie 


Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 

Mr.  Mackenzie 
Mr.  Stephenson 


Mr.  Mackenzie 


Mr.  Ogilvie 


Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S. 

Mr.  Er  ington 

Mr.  Lockf,  M.P.,F.R.S.  1 

Mr.  Ernngton  [ 

Mr.  Locke,M.P.,FR.S. 

Mr.  Errington 

Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S.  | 

Mr.  Errington  ; 

Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,  F.R.S.  ) 

Mr.  Errington  j 


Mr.  Hawkshaw,  F.R.S.  . 


Mr.  Meek 
Mr.  Robertson 

Mr.  Robertson 


Mr.  Dockray  . 
Mr.  Rendel,  F.R.S. 
Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  J.  Cubitt     .... 

(  Mr.  R.  Stephenson,  M.P. 
J      F.R.S. 
I  Mr.  Bidder 

Mr.  Robertson 

Mr.  Bidder  and  others    . 

(Mr.  Locke.  M. P.,  F.R.S.  ) 

"(  Mr.  Stanton  f 

Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S. 

f  Mr.  Neuman 
\  Mr.  Murton 


Mr.  Robertson 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S. 

/Mr.  Locke.M.P.,  F.R.S. 
\  Mr.  W.  Locke 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

fMr.  Rendel,  F.R.S. 
1  Mr.  Abernethy 

Mr.  G.  Berkeley      . 
Italian  Government 


Agent 


Mr.  G.  Mould    1 
Mr.  Woodhou.se  I 

Mr.  Woodhouse 

Mr.  Goodfellow ' 
Mr.  Barnard 

Mr.   Falshaw 
Mr.  Falshaw     . 


Mr.  Day  . 

Mr.  Greene 
Mr.  Meakin 

Mr.  Meakin 

Mr.  S.  Horn     . 
Mr.  Goodfellow  \ 


Mr.  Day 

Mr.  P.  Ogilvie . 

Mr.  Bartlett 
Mr.  Milroy 
Mr.  Ballard 

Mr.  J.  Jones 

Mr.  Meakin 
Mr.  Holme 
Mr.  Burt  . 

Mr.  Evans 

Mr.  Benyon 
Mr.  C.  Smith 


Mr.  S.  Holme  . 
Mr.  Meakin 


Mr.  Evans 


Mr.  Strapp 
Mr.  Robson 

Mr.  H.  Harrison 

Mr.  H.  Harrison 
Mr.  Dent . 


Mr.  Evans 


Mr.    T.   Wood- 
Jiouse     . 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER   CONTRACTS. 


162, 


Year 

Contract 

Partner 

Engineer 

Agent 

"y 

{ Shrewsbury           and  \ 
Hereford  Railway,  \ 
and  Maintenance  .  ) 

Norwegian  Railway . 

Mr.  Robertson 

'  Mr.  W.  Field   . 

51 

1851 

fSirM.  Peto.M.P.,  ) 
1      &  Mr.  Betts        .  J 

Mr.  Bidder      . 

J  Mr.  Merrit          ) 
1  Mr.  Earle            | 

56 

'Hereford,  Ross,  and 
Gloucester  Railway 

SirM.  Peto,M.P.,  1 
&  Mr.  Betts        .  J 

Mr.  Brunei,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Watson 

30 

London,  Tilbury,  and 
Southend  Railway 

SirM.  Peto.M.P.,), 
&  Mr.  Betts      •  .  ) 

Mr.  Bidder      . 

Mr.  White 

50 

Victoria    Docks  and 
Warehouses 

SirM.  Peto,  M.P.,  1 
&  Mr.  Betts        ,  I 

Mr.  Bidder      . 

Mr.  Holland     . 

_ 

Warrington            and  [ 
Stockport  Railway  \ 

. 

Mr.  Lister 

Mr.  Goodfellow 

12  ' 

North    Devon    Rail- 1 

way        .         .         .  ) 

Mr.  Ogilvie  . 

Mr.  W.  R.  Neale    . 

f  Mr.  P.  Ogilvie  ) 
1  Mr.  Evans           | 

47 

i 

1852 

J  Mantes     and      Caen  1 
'j      Railway         .         .  ) 

.        .        .        . 

(Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 
\  Mr.  Neuinan 
(  Mr.  W.  Locke 

Mr.  J.  Jones       ) 
Mr.  C.  Jones 
Mr.  J.  Milroy 

"3 

Le  Mans  and  Mezi- 1 
/       don  Railway  .         .  J 

.        .         .        . 

(Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S.  ) 
1  M.  Bergeron                         j 

Mr.  Woodhouse 

84 

L 

f  Lyons  and   Avignon 

Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P.,  ) 
&  Mr.  Betts        .  f 

(  ]\L  Talabot                            ] 
■  M.  Thirion                             \ 
I  M.  Molard 

1  Mr.  G.  Giles       ) 
(  Mr.  Murton        J 

67 

Railway 

t/ 

Dutch  Rhenish  Rail-  \ 

way         .         .         .  ) 

(SirM.  Peto,  M.  P.,) 

Mr.  Locke,M.P.,F.R.S. 

Mr.  Ballard       . 

Mr.  Reekie         \ 
Mr.  Hodges     . 

43 

Grand  Trunk  Railway 

\      Mr.  Betts,  &   Sir  • 
i     W.  Jackson        . ) 

Mr.  Ross 

•  Mr.  Rowan       .  • 
Mr.  Tait   . 

539 

L 

Ulr.  P.  Ogilvie   ) 

/Crystal    Palace-  and 

SirM.  Peto.M.P.,) 
&  Mr.  Betts        .  j 

Mr.  Bidder      . 

L   West-End  Railway 

Mr.  Watson 

5 

v 

/■  Sambre    and    Meuse  | 
Railway         .         .  1 

. 

M.  Declerq      . 

Mr.  H.  Harrison 

28 

1853 

<  Turin     and    Novara ) 
Railway         .         .  ) 

-        •        •        • 

Italian  Government 

Mr.    T.    Wood- 
hou  e 
I,  Mr.  Hancox 

60 

Hauenstein  Tunnel  . 

M.  Etzel  .... 

M.  Benyon 

li 

Royal   Danish   Rail- [ 

SirM.  Peto.M.P.' 

Mr.  Bidder                            ) 
Mr.  G.  R.  Stephenson       ] 

^     way        .         .         .  ; 

&  Mr.  Betts 

Mr.  McKeon    . 

75 

/Arpley  Branch  Rail-) 
way         .         .         .  f 

.... 

Mr.  Lister        .        .        . 

Mr.  Goodfellow 

A 

Woodford  and  Lough- ) 
1      ton  Railway  .          .  ) 

. 

Mr.  Bidder      . 

Mr.  H.  Harrison 

i\ 

1854 

/Central  Italian  Rail-) 
\      way         .         .         .  ) 
1  Turin  and  Susa  Rail- ) 
1      way        .        .        .; 

SirW    Jackson.        ) 
Mssrs.Fell&Jopling) 

Mr.  C.  Henfrey     . 

Italian  Government 
Italian  Government          .     . 

(Mr.    Fell              | 
1  Mr.  Jopling         [ 

Mr.  C.  Henfrey 

52 
34 

v 

\Bellegarde  Tunnel    . 

1  Messrs.    Parent   &  ) 
\      Buddicoin  .         .  [ 

M.  Talabot      . 

Mr.  Goodfellow 

2i 

'^East  Suffolk  Railway 

J  SirM.  Peto.M.P.,) 
t     &  Mr.  Betts        .  ] 

Mr.  G.  Berkley 

Mr.  M^atson      . 

63 

Inverness  and   Nairn  ) 
Railway           .         .  ) 

Mr.  Falshaw 

Mr.  Mitchell    . 

Mr.  Falshaw    . 

16 

1855 

<|  Portsmouth      Direct) 
^  Railway         .         .  ) 

Mr.  Ogilvie   . 

Mr.  Locke.  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Evans 

33 

b 

t   Caen  and  Cherbourg  ) 
Railway                   .  J 

. 

(Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R,S. 
(Mr.  W.  Locke 

Mr.  Milroy          ) 
Mr.  C.  Jones      | 
Mr.  Dent 

94 

l^Coghines  Bridge 

. 

Italian  Government 

1856 

Woodbridge     Exten- ) 
sion  Railway.         .  [ 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 

Mr.  Bruff         .        .        . 

Mr.  Boys . 

■  Elizabeth-Linz   Rail- 

SirM.  Peto.M.P.,) 
&  Mr.  Betts       .  j" 

ID 

way 

M.  C.  Keissler 

Mr.  G.  Giles    . 

49 

M  2 


164 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER   CONTRACTS. 


Year! 


Contract 


t857 


1858 


■  Leicesterand  Hitchin  | 

Railway  .         .  J 

Leominsterand  King-  1 

ton  Railway  .         .  J 

Minories  Warehouses 


f  Leatherhead,  Epsom, 
I      and        Wimbledon 

Railway 
I  Worcester  and  Here- 1 
i       ford  Railway  .  J 

J  Inverness  and  Aber- 
deen Junction  Rail- 
way 
Bilbao  and  Miranda 

Railway 
Eastern  Bengal  Rail- 
way 


f  Cannock         Mineral ) 
I       Railway  .         .  ) 

j  Crewe   and    Shrews-  | 
I      bury  Railway         .  j 

Salisbury  Station 
Denny  Branches 


I  I  Victor        Emmanuel ) 
1859  i  -^      Railway         .         .  J 


Ivrea  Railway 

Great  Northern  "^ 

Great    Eastern  ' 

Great  Southern  > 
Railways  New 

South  Wales)  .  J 

f  Salisbury  and  Yeovil ) 
Railway  .  .  ) 

Woofferton  and  Ten-  [ 
bury  Railway         .  J 
Wenlock  Railway 
Port  Partick  Railway 
Stokes  F.ay   Pier  and  [ 
<!       Branch  Railway     .  ) 
1  Harleston  and  Beccles 
j  Dieppe  Railway  (lay- ) 
ing  second  roadl     .  I 
The  Maremm  I,  Leg-  ) 
horn,  &c..  Railway! 

Jutland  Railway 

f  Disley  and  Hayfield  ) 
Railway      _    .         .  ) 

Knighton  Railway    . 
I  Nuneaton  and  Hinck- ) 
I      ley  Railway   .         .  ) 
I  Shrewsbury  and 

I       Hereford    Railway 
I      (widening) 

West  London  Rail- 
I  way  ^Extension)  . 
I^Ludlow  Drainage     . 


i860 

1/1 


1 86 1 


Mr.  Field       . 

Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P. 
&  Mr.  Betts 


Mr.  Ogilvie    . 
Mr.  Ballard   . 

Mr.  Falshaw 

Messrs.  Wythes  1 
Paxtonand  Bartlett  I 
Mess's.  Wythes  1 
PaxtonandHenfrey  J 


Mr.  Field 


Mr.  Ogilvie 


Sir  W.  Jackson 
Mr.  Henfrey 


Mr.  C.  Henfrey 


Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P. 
,     &  Mr.  Betts 


Mr.  H.  Harrison 
Mr.  Ogilvie 

Mr.  Field       . 

Mr.  Field       . 
Mr.  Falshaw 

Mr.  Ogilvie   . 

Mr.  Ogilvie   . 

Mr.  Buddicom 


SirM.  Peto,  M.P. 
&  Mr.  Betts 


Mr.  H.  Harrison 
Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Field 

Mr.  Field 

Mr.  Ogilvie 
Mr.  Field  ■ 


Engineer 


Messrs.  Liddell  &  Gordon 
Mr.  Wylie 
Mr.  Tite,  M.P. 

(Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,F.R.S.-^ 
'(  Mr.  A.  C.  Crosae  } 

Messrs.  Liddell  &  Gordon 

Mr.  Mitchell    . 

Mr.  Vignoles,  F.R.S.       . 
Mr.  Hawkshaw,  F.R.S. 


Mr.  Addison    . 

M-.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Erriiigton 

Mr.  Tolme' 

Mr.  Locke,  M. P.,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Errington 

Mr.  Neuman 
Mr.  Ranco 


Italian  Government 


Mr.  Whitton 


Mr.  Locke,  M.P.,  F.R.S, 

Mr.  Wylie 

Mr.  Fowler 
Mr.  Blyth 

Mr.  Fulton 

Mr.  Bruff 

M.  Julien 

M.  Pini    . 

Danish  Government 

Mr.  Errington. 
Mr.  Robertson 
Mr.  Addison    . 

Mr.  Wvlie 
Mr.  Clark 

Mr.  W.  Baker. 
Mr.  Curley 


Agent 


Mr.  Horn 

Mr.  Harrison 

Mr.  Field 

Mr.  Holland 


Mr.  Ogilvie      . 

Mr.  Ballard       . 

Mr.  Falshaw    . 

Mr.  Bartlett      . 
Mr.  C.  Henfrey 

Mr.J  Stephenson 

Mr.  Day  . 

Mr.  Carswell  ) 
Mr.  J.  Walker    I 

Mr.  Falshaw     . 

Mr.  Bartlett  \ 
Mr.  W.  Strapp.  [ 
Mr.  Blake  [ 

Mr.  Edwards 
Mr.  Dent  1 

Mr.  Dixon  J 


Mr.  Wilcox 
Mr.  Rhodes 


Mr.  H.  Harrison 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

Mr.  Seacome    . 
Mr.  Falshaw     . 

Mr.  Evans 

Mr.  Boys  . 
Mr.     R.    Good- ) 
fellow     .         .  ) 
Mr.  Jopling         I 
Mr.  C.  Jones       j 

Mr.  Rowan 


Mr.  Harrison    . 

Mr.  Field 

Mr.J.  Stephenson 

Mr.  J.  Mackay 

Mr.  Evans 
Mr.  Mackay     . 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER   CONTRACTS. 


16 


Yea 


Contract 


Severn    Valley- 
way 


Rail- ) 


1863 


South  Staffordshire  | 
Railway  .         .  [ 

Metropolitan        Mid 
Level  Sewer 

'Ringwood  and  Christ-  / 
church  Railway      .  \ 

Kingston  Extension  1^ 
Railway  .         .  I 

Cannock  Chase  Rail-  1 
way         .         .         .1 

Coalbrookdale  Rail-  \ 
way         .         .         .  ) 

Ashchurch  and  Eves- 
ham Railway .         .  ■ 

Nantwich  and  Mar-  | 
ket  Drayton  Rail-  \ 
way         .         .         .  ) 

South  Leicester  Rail-  \ 
way         .         .         .  I 

Tenbury  and  Bewd- 1 
ley  Railway   .         .  ) 

Wenlock  and  Craven  i 
Arm ;  Railway        .  ) 

Ludlow  and  Clee  Hill  [ 
Railway.         .         .  ) 

Llangollen  Railway  . 

Rio  JaneiroDrainage 

Mauritius  Railway    . 

Epping  and  Ongar    . 

Barrow  Docks  . 

Runcorn  Branch  [ 

Railway  .     ,    .  ) 

Tendring  Hundred  ■ 
Railway  .         .  I 

Worm  Drainage 

Sudbury,  Bury  St.  \ 
Edmunds,  and  I 

Cambridge  Rail-  \ 
way         .         .         .  / 

Meridionale  Railway 

I  Queensland   Railway 

I  North  Schleswig 

i.     Railway 

Epping  Railway 

Letton  Drainage 

Dunmow  Railway     . 

Corwen      and      Bala  \ 
,       Railway  .         .  > 

I  Wellington  and  Mar- 
ket Drayton    Rail- 
way 
Enniskillen  and  Bun- 
doran  Railway 

Central        Argentine 


Partner 


"     Railway 

Lemberg  Czernowitz 
Railway 


Mr. 
Mr. 

r  leia 

Ogilvie 
Harrison 

Mr. 

Ogilvie 

Mr. 

Ogilvie 

Mr. 

Field 

Mr. 

Field 

Mr. 

Ballard 

Mr. 

Field 

Mr 

Field 

Mr 

Field 

Mr 

Field 

Mr 

Field 

Mr 

■  Ogilvie 

j  Mr.    Wythes    and  [ 
t      others .  .  I 

(  Mr.  Ogilvie  \ 

1  Mr.  Harrison  ) 

Mr.  Field       . 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 
Mr.  Field 

Mr.  Ogilvie    . 


f  M.  Parent      . 
1  Mr.  Buddicom 
J  Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P. 
t      &  Mr.  Betts 
Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P. 
&  Mr.  Betts 

f  Mr.  H.  Harrison 
t  Mr.  Ogilvie    . 
Mr.  Field       . 
f  Mr.  Ogilvie    . 
1  Mr.  H.  Harrison 


Mr.  Field 


Mr.  Field       . 

Mr.  Wythes 
Mr.  Wheelwright 
Mr.  Ogilvie 


Engineer 


Mr.  Fowler 


(  Mr.    McClean,     M.P.,      ) 
1      F.R.S.  ...  ^ 

Mr.  Bazalgette,  C.B. 


Captain  Moorsom     . 

Mr.  Galbraith  . 

Mr.  Addison     . 

Mr.  Fowler 

Messrs.  Liddell&  Gordon 

Mr.  Gardiner   . 

Mr.  Addison     . 

<  Mr.  Wylie 
(  Mr.  Clarke 

Mr.  Fowler 

1  Mr.  Wylie 

i  Mr.  Claike 
Mr.  Robertson,  M.P.       , 
]\L  Gotto .         .         .         , 

Mr.    Hawkshaw,    F.R.S, 

Mr.  Sinclair 

(  Mr.     McClean,     M 
1      F.R.S.. 

Mr.  W.  Baker 

Mr.  Bruff 
Mr.  Curley      , 

Mr.  Sinclair      . 

M.  Grattoni  and  others 
Mr.  Fitzgibbon 
Mr.  Rowan 

Mr.  Sinclair 
Mr.  Curley 
Mr.  Sinclair 

Mr.  Robertson,  RLP. 

Mr.  Wilson       . 

Mr.  Hemans     . 
Mr.  E.  Woods 

Mr.  McClean 
Mr.  Stileman 
M.  Ziffer 
M.  de  Here 


Agent 


Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Day 
Mr.  Dent 
Mr.  Dowell 

Mr.  Day  . 
Mr.  Harrison 

Mr.  Evans 

Mr.  Evans 

Mr.  Cooper 

Mr.  Dent. 

Mr.  Ballard 

Mr.  Gallaher       \ 
Mr.  Mackay       I 

Mr.  J.  Stephenson 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

!  Mr.  Dent  ) 

I  Mr.  N.  Mackay  j 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

Mr.  Gallagher  . 
Mr.  Honcox 

Mr.  Longridge. 

Mr.  Harrison    . 

Mr.  Dent . 

Mr.  Evans 

Mr.  Boys . 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

f  Mr.  Bell  \ 

Mr.  Boys  \ 

I  Mr.  Smalls  j 

[  Mr.  C.  Jones      ) 
1  Mr.  Charles         | 

Mr.  Willcox      . 
Mr.  Louth 


Mr.  Butler 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

Mr.  Butler 

Mr.  Field  ) 

Mr.  Reid  J 

Mr.  Mackay     . 

Mr.  Day  .         .  \ 
Mr.  Drennan    .  j 

Mr.  Wheelwright 


Mr.  Strapp 


9 
3 

48 

160 
78J 
70 


i66 


LIST  OF  RAILWAY  AND   OTHER   CONTRACTS. 


Year 


Contract 


Viersen-Venlo 
1864    1      way 

'='"'^'  i  ]  Delhi  Railway 


Rail- 


1865 


1866 


1867 


1870 


fChertsey  Extension 
Railway 

I  Dee         Reclamation 

j       Works 

I  Evesham  and  Red- 
ditch  Railway 

i  East    London     Rail- 
I      way 

Hull  and  Doncaster 
Railway  .         . 

Herefo;d  Loop  Rail- 
way 

Hooton  and  Parkgate 
I       Railway 
■{  London  and  Bedford 
Railway 

Llangollen  and  Cor- 
wen  Railway  . 

Nantwich  and  Mar- 
ket Drayton  (Wid- 
ening)    . 

Boca  and  Barracas 
Railway 

Warsaw  and  Terespol 
Railway 

Chord  Line    (India) 

Calcutta  Waterworks 


Ebbw  Vale  Railway . 

Thames  Embank- 
ment 

Kensington  and  Rich- ' 
mond  Railway  (and 
Spurs)     . 

Christchurch  and" 

Bournemouth  Rail- 
way 

Moreton  Hampstead 
Railway 

Bala    and     Dolgelly 


Railway 


('Sirhowy  Railway 

Wolverhampton    and 
!      Walsall  Railway 
■{  Czernowitz    Suczawa 
j       Railway 
I  Kronprinz     Rudolfs- 
L.     bahn 

Silverdale  Railway 
Nepean  Bridge. 


Callao  Docks    . 

Vorarlbergbahn 

Suczawa    and    Jassy 
Railway 


Partner 


Mr.  Murton  . 

('Mr.  Wythes 
1  Mr.  Henfrey 


Mr.  Harrison 

Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Meakin 

Mr.  Ballard   . 

Mr.  Wythes 
Messrs.      Lucas, 
Brothers 

Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Field 
Mr.  Ballard 

Mr.  Field 

Mr.  Wythes 

Mr.  Wheelwright 

Mr.  Vignoles, 
F.R.S. 

Mr.  Ogilvie 
(  Mr.  Wythes 
1  Mr.  Perry 
(  Mr.  Wythes  . 
X  Mr.  Aird 

Mr.  Field  . 
Mr.  Ogilvie  . 
!Mr.  Harrison 

_f  Mr.  Ogilvie 
'(  Mr.  Harrison 

Mr.  Ogilvie   . 

Mr.  Ogilvie   . 


Mr.  Field  . 
Mr.  Harrison 
Mr.  Ogilvie   . 

M.  Klein 
M.  Schwarz 


Sir  M.  Peto,  M.P. 
&  Mr.  Betts.       , 


/  M.  Klein 
i  M.  Schwarz 


Engineer 


M.  Lange 
,  Mr.  Bidder 

Mr.  J.  Harrison 
.  Mr.  Bidder 

Mr.  Galbraith  . 

Mr.  Bateman,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Richards  . 

Mr.  Hawkshaw,  F.R.S. 

Mr.  Harrison  . 
Mr.  Clarke  . 
Mr.  Johnson  . 
Mr.  Liddell  . 
Mr.  Robertson,  M.P, 

Mr.  Gardiner  . 

Mr.  Coghlan    . 

Russian  Government 

Mr.  Rendel      . 

Mr.  Purdon 
Mr.  Lewis 

Mr.  Gardiner  . 

Mr.  Bazalgette,  C.B. 

Mr.  Galbraith 
Mr.  Tolme 


Mr.  Strapp 
Mr.  Margary  . 
Mr.  Wilson      . 

Mr.  Sayer 

Mr.  Addison    . 

M.  Ziffer 
M.  de  Herz 

M.  F.  Kagda  . 

Mr.  Forsyth     . 

Mr.  Fowler 

M.  Alle'on 

M.  W.  Paravicini 

M.  Ziffer . 


Agent 


Mr.  Murton 

Mr.  C.   Henfrey  I 
Mr.  Mareilier      j 


Mr.  Harrison  . 
Mr.  Meaken  . 
Mr.  Ballard      . 

Mr.  H.  Harrison 

Mr.  Stephenson 
Mr.  Mackay     . 
Mr.  Mackay     . 
Mr.  Ballard 
Mr.  Field. 


Mr.  Reid  1 

Mr.  Mackay       J 

Mr.  Simpson     . 

Mr.  H.  Vignoles 

Mr.  Perry 
Mr.  Paton 

Mr.  Mackay 
Mr.  Harrison 

Mr.  Evans 
Mr.  Ogilvie 


Mr. 

(Mr. 
\  Mr. 
( Mr. 

Mr. 
Mr. 

Mr. 

M. 

(  Mr.' 
iMr. 


Crossley 

Field 

Day 

Drennan 

Mackay 
Harrison 

Strapp 

Folsch 

Field 
Mackay 


Mr.  Willcox 


Mr 

M. 

Mr. 
Mr. 


Hodges 

Folsch 

Strapp 
Edwards 


18 

16 

5 

36i 


7i 

60 
272 

X3i 


[  167     ] 


CHAP. 
XIII. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  IT  A  LIAN  RAILWA  Y  S. 
(A,D.  1850-53.) 

IT  would  far  exceed  our  limits  to  enter 
into  a  detailed  account  of  every  great 
enterprise  which  Mr.  Brassey  undertook, 
either  by  himself,  or  in  partnership  with 
others.  There  are,  however,  certain  re- 
markable points  connected  with  several  of 
these  undertakings,  which  ought  not  to  be 
passed  over  in  silence. 

I  will  begin  with  the  railway  from  Turin  Turin  and 

,       ,     .       .  Novara 

to  Novara.     Count  Cavour  had  mtimated  a  Railway. 
strong  desire  to  bring  capital  into  his  country 
for    the    purpose   of  constructing   railways ; 
and  he  naturally  looked  to  Englishmen  for 
assistance  in  attaining  this  desirable   object,  a.d.  1853. 
His  wishes  were  responded  toby  our  country- 


i68 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS, 


CPIAP. 
XIII. 


27  Sept. 
1851. 


Proposed 
division 
of  share 
list. 


Interview- 
between 
Count 
Cavour 
and  Mr. 
Giles. 


men.  Negotiations  were  accordingly  com- 
menced with  the  Count ;  and  Mr.  Brassey, 
Mr.  Frank  Mills,  and  Mr.  Netlam  Giles  were 
the  contractors  who,  under  the  sole  name  of 
Mr.  Brassey,  arranged  the  conditions  of  a 
concession  from  the  Piedmontese  Government 
for  the  line  from  Turin  to  Novara. 

The  preliminary  agreement  entered  into 
with  M.  Paleocapa,  the  Minister  of  Public 
Works,  was  as  follows : — That  the  Pied- 
montese Government  was  to  subscribe  a 
fourth  of  the  capital,  Mr.  Brassey  a  fourth, 
the  Provinces  a  fourth,  and  the  public  a 
fourth,  no  interest  being  guaranteed. 

The  Piedmontese  public,  however,  did  not 
understand  railway  matters,  and  were  totally 
disinclined  to  subscribe  for  their  share. 
Count  Cavour  sent  for  Mr.  Giles  one  morn- 
ing, and  said,  '  We  are  in  a  difficulty :  the 
public  have  subscribed  for  very  few  shares ; 
but  I  am  determined  to  carry  out  the  line, 
and  I  want  to  know  if  Mr.  Brassey  will  take 
half  of  the  deficiency,  if  the  Government  will 
take  the  other  half  } '     A  promise  was  given 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.  1 69 


on  Mr.  Brassey's  part,  that  he  should  do  chap. 
so, — a  noticeable  instance  again  of  how  Mr.  '  ■  ' 
Brassey's  partners  as  well  as  his  agents  could 
venture  to  act  for  him  on  very  critical  occa- 
sions. It  was  shortly  afterwards  announced 
that  the  subscriptions  were  covered  ;  the  Pied- 
montese  then  took  heart,  and  applied  for  a 
very  much  larger  amount  of  shares  than  that 
which  had  been  originally  offered  to  them. 
Count  Cavour  made  an   appeal  to  the  pro-  Turin  and 

/  ^  ^  Novara 

moters  of  the  railway,  saying  '  The  public  are  shares. 
now  crying  out  that  they  cannot  get  a  share, 
and  the  shares  are  at  a  good  premium.  Will 
you  give  up  some  shares,  as  I  am  anxious  to 
whet  their  appetite  for  other  enterprises  by 
letting  them  taste  a  profit  on  their  first  specu- 
lation .-^ '  Cavour  was  asked,  '  How  many  do 
you  want,  supposing  that  the  Government 
will  give  up  as  many?'  He  replied,  'Will 
you  give  up  2,000  ?  '  He  was  assured  that 
Mr.  Brassey  did  not  care  about  'jobbing  the* 
shares,'  and  there  was  no  doubt  he  would 
do  what  the  Count  wished.  The  matter 
was  shortly  afterwards    discussed    with   Mr. 


I  70  THE  ITALIAN  RAIL  IVA  YS. 

ciiAP.     Brassey,  and  he  willingly  gave  up  the  2,000 
'      •      '  shares,  they  being  then  at  more  than  2/.  pre- 
mium. 

This  railway  from  Turin  to  Novara  was 
a  very  successful  undertaking,  as  the  traffic 
proved  far  more  remunerative  than  even  the 
original  promoters  had  estimated,  and  the 
line  was  completed  for  a  less  sum  of  money 
than  had  been  expected.  Mr.  Brassey,  In  dis- 
cussing these  transactions  made  this  notable 
remark,  '  That  railway  has  b:eii  completed  for 
about  the  same  mo7iey  as  was  spent  in  obiaui- 
i7ig  the  Bill  for  the  railway  from  London  to 
York!  The  length  of  the  Turin  and  Novara 
Railway  was  60  miles. 
Cost  of       •    The  total  charge  of  the  Sardinian  Govern- 

conces-  •  a /r         t^  r  i 

sion.  ment  agamst  Mr.  Brassey  tor  the  concession 

was  exactly  100/. 

It  is  therefore  not  wonderful  that  Mr. 
Brassey  had  the  opinion  that  the  system  of 
concessions  by  a  Government  to  Companies 
was  very  superior  to  the  Parliamentary 
system  which  is  adopted  in  this  country. 

Count  Cavour  said  to  Mr.  Brassey,  shordy 
after  the  railway  was  in  operation,  '  I  am  told 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.  I7I 

the  line  per  se  is  yielding  14  per  cent.  ;  and  chap. 

yet  there  was  a  time  when  I  could  not  induce  ^ ^ — ' 

my  Piedmontese  to  take  a  share ! ' 

The   successful    construction    of   this    line  Effects  of 

the  success 

from  Turin  to  Novara  brought,  as  might  be  oft^e 

^  ^  railway. 

expected,  an  immense  number  of  applications 
from  all  parts  of  Piedmont  for  the  extension 
of  the  railway  system.  In  fact,  there  was, 
as  I  am  informed,  'a  perfect  fu7^ore  for 
the  construction  of  railways  throughout  the 
country.'  Mr.  Brassey  was  concerned  in 
several  of  these  enterprises '}  but  it  is  not 
necessary  to  enter  into  any  details  respecting 
their  construction.  Count  Cavour  was  very 
grateful  to  Mn  Brassey,  and  repeatedly 
thanked  him  for  the  liberal  and  spirited  way 
in  which  he  had  responded  to  the  wishes  of 
the  Piedmontese  Government. 

The  proceedings  which  took  place  in  re-  Proposed 
ference  to   the  proposed  formation  of  what  manier 
was    called    the  Lukmanier  Line,   from   Lo-  Railway. 
carno  on  the  Lago  Maggiore  over  the  Luk- 
manier Pass  to  the  Union-Suisse  Railway  at 


*  See  List  of  Railways,  ante^  pp.  161-166. 


72 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP 
XIII. 


Interview 

with 

Cavour. 


Coire,  are    worth    noting ;  I   will  give  them 
in  the  words  of  Mr.  Giles  : — 

'It  so  happened  that  I  had  been  inte- 
rested in  the  original  concessions  from  the 
Cantons  Grisons  and  Tessin,  of  the  Luk- 
manier  Line,  and  at  an  interview  between  the 
Count  and  Mr.  Brassey,  Cavour  said,  '  Now, 
Mr.  Brassey,  I  want  you  to  do  something  for 
us  in  this  matter,  in  which  I  take  a  great 
interest.'  Mr.  Brassey  replied,  '  Really,  I 
know  nothing  about  it ;  but,'  pointing  to  me, 
'  Here  is  a  man  who  knows  everything  about 
it — he  has  spent  time  and  money  upon  it, 
promoting  it.  Perhaps  your  time,  therefore, 
would  be  saved  by  explaining  your  views  to 
him,  and  if  I  can  assist  them  I  shall  be  happy 
to  do  so.'  So  the  Count  said  to  me,  '  Come 
and  see  me  to-morrow  morning.'  I  ma}^ 
mention  that  it  was  not  unusual  for  Count 
Cavour  to  see  people  in  the  summer-time  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  My  appoint- 
ment was  at  six  o'clock.  I  waited  upon  him 
as  appointed.  We  then  discussed  the  Luk- 
manier,  and  we  came  to  an  arrangement.  I 
said,  '  There  are  no  "  surveys  "  in  this  matter, 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS.  I  73 


or  no  reliable  surveys — they  are  all  made  by     chap, 


Intcrv 
with 


lew 


the  people  in  the  country.  Will  you  share 
part  of  the  expense  of  a  definitive  survey  ? ' 
He  replied,  '  I  do  not  think,  in  the  present  ^^''°'''- 
position  of  matters,  it  can  be  done.  It  is  in 
Switzerland ;  and  the  Swiss  are  so  touchy 
about  any  interference  of  a  foreign  Govern- 
ment, that  I  think  our  doing  so  would  have  a 
prejudicial  rather  than  a  beneficial  effect;  but 
I  should  be  glad  if  Mr.  Brassey  can  see  his 
way  to  making  them  without  any  assistance 
from  us.'  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Brassey  about  it, 
and  the  surveys  were  made  in  the  spring  of 
1868,  and  Count  Cavour  was  asked  to  meet 
Mr.  Brassey  and  the  promoters  at  Coire,  for 
the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  line. 

*  Cavour  came  to  Coire  on  July  27,  1858. 
Mr.  Brassey  had  fully  intended  to  accompany 
the  Count  over  the  line,  but  unfortunately 
could  not  do  so,  as  he  had  to  complete  the 
line  to  Cherbourg,  which  the  Emperor  Na- 
poleon was  to  open  on  August  5.  Immedi- 
ately Cavour  came  to  Coire,  it  set  in  to  rain 
in  torrents,  and  he  was  delayed  a  day.  Mr. 
Giles  waited  upon  the  Count  by  appointment 


174  THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 

CHAF,    at  six  o'clvock  on  the  succeedlne  morninpf,  and 
XIII.  ,  ^  ^ 

■ ' — '  found    him  reading  Macaulay's    *  History   of 

Intemew     EnMand.'     '  He    said,    '  Wonderful   and    de- 

with  ^  ' 

Cavour.  Hghtful  book  tliis ;  it  is  as  exciting  as  a 
champagne  breakfast.'  They  then  discussed 
-the  proposed  Lukmanier  Hne,  and  the  Count 
said,  *  I  very  much  regret  Mr.  Brassey  is 
not  here,  as  I  have  looked  forward  to  the 
pleasure  of  going  over  the  line  with  him,  and 
thoroughly  understanding  how  he  proposes 
to  construct  the  two  sections,  and  the  carriage 
road  over  the  mountain.  I  am  already  ac- 
quainted, through  M.  Sommeiller,  that  Mr. 
Brassey  thinks  it  better  to  make  a  good 
tunnel  even  in  fifteen  years  than  a  bad  one  in 
six  years.  I  think  so  too ;  indeed,  I  shall 
be  disposed  to  accept  whatever  Mr.  Brassey 
proposes,  as  I  have  full  confidence  in  his 
opinion.  I  should  like  very  much  to  go  over 
the  line  with  him  ;  and  if  you  will ,  inform  me 
when  he  will  be  at  Coire,  I  will  do  my  best 
to  return,  and  accompany  him  over  the  line, 
as  I  am  most  anxious  to  have  my  lesson 
from  the  most  experienced  contractor  in 
Europe,  and  so  be  able  to  discuss  the  ques- 


THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS,  175 

tlon  au  fond,  and  with  a  full  knowledee  of    chap. 

•^  '  ^  XIII. 

the  facts.'  ^  ' — 

There  was  a  grand  dinner  at  Coire  in  honour 
of  Count  Cavour  the  same  day,  at  which  the 
Count  said  :  *  Mr.  Brassey  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  I  know ;  clear-headed — 
cautious,  yet  very  enterprising — and  fulfilling 
his  engagements  faithfully.  We  never  had 
a  difficulty  with  him.  He  would  make  a 
splendid  Minister  of  Public  Works ;  and,'  he 
added,  laughing,  '  If  report  be  true,  he  under- 
stands the  Finance  Department  equally  as 
well.' 

This  praise  from  Count  Cavour  was  the 
praise  of  a  man  who  was  himself  a  con- 
summate master  in  the  management  of 
affairs.  Mr.  Giles,  who  throughout  these 
transactions  was  in  frequent  communication 
with  the  Count,  says  of  him,  '  as  a  man  of 
business,  I  never  met  his  equal,  except  In 
Mr.  "Brassey.' 

After  the  revolution  of  1848,  political 
considerations,  and  probably  strategical  views, 


^  Mr.  Netlam  Giles's  evidence. 


176  .  THE  ITALIAN  RAILWAYS. 

CHAP,     entered  very    largely   as    important    circum- 
' — ' — '  stances  in  the  arrangement  of  the  system  of 

Piedmontese  railways. 

S-in  r  En°  ^^  "^^^^  ^^-'^  ^^^y  Count  Cavour,  who  was 

intViuiy!  then  the  Finance  Minister,  who  was  anxious 

for  the  introduction  of  British  capital  for  the 

purpose  of  railway  construction.     The  Prime 

Minister,    D'Azeglio,  and    the    Minister    for 

Public    Works,    M.     Paleocapa,     were    also 

most  anxious  to  promote  the  same  kind  of 

enterprise. 

Turin  and        j^^  1 8  SO  a  railway  was  planned   to  extend 

busa  Rail-  ^  •'  ^ 

^^^'  the    Turin  and    Genoa  line    from   Turin    to 

Susa  by  Mr.  Charles  Henfrey.  Previously 
there  had  been  before  the  Piedmontese 
Government  the  project  of  tunnelling  through 
Mont  Cenis.  Indeed,  as  far  back  as  1841, 
this  project  had  been  brought  forward  by 
Mons.  Medail  ;  and  later,  the  Chevalier 
Maus  had  prepared  a  detailed  project  for  a 
railway  and  tunnel,  and  had  been  allowed  to 
make  experiments  with  a  boring  machine  of 
his  own  invention  at  the  Government  works. 
The  condition  of  the  national  finances  of 
Piedmont,    however,    entirely   prevented  the 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA.  24 1 


whether,  taking-  it  for  g^ranted  that  the  least    chap. 
^ .              ^                                                  XVII. 
successful  working  man  would  not  become  " > — ' 

a   pauper  in  Australia,  it  would   be   a  safe 

venture  to  send  out  say  20,000  people  a  year  Number 

to  that  colony.     His  answer  was  most  dis-  g^^'^^s   ,, 

^  that  could 

tinctly  in  the  affirmative.    The  labour  market  ^^  f^^; 

^  sorbed 

would  absorb  them  all ;  and  emigration  might  \^^^l^ 
take  place,  on  a  very  much  larger  scale  than  ^'"^^^^' 
has  hitherto  been  attempted,  without  over- 
stocking the  labour  market ;  but  he  added 
this  judicious  proviso,  *  That  the  emigrants 
must  not  be  sent  out  in  too  large  batches,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  got  away,  up  coun- 
try, without  being  compelled  to  linger  un- 
employed at  the  port  of  entry.  If  a  vessel 
went  to  New  South  Wales  and  to  Queens- 
land every  fortnight,  with  400  or  500  emi- 
grants, they  could  be  taken  away  without 
difficulty.' 

This  witness  also  confirmed  the  evidence 
we   have   had    before   from    other    persons, 
*  that  work  at  the  "  diggings  "  did  not,  upon 
the  average,  yield  the  same  rate  of  wages     ». 
as  other  employment.' 

The  foregoing  evidence  must  be  admitted 

R 


242  WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


CHAP,    to  be  very  valuable  as  regards  the  general 


question  of   Emigration.      The  other   point 

which   I  wish  to  insist  upon  Is,  that  which 

I    have    before    alluded    to    regarding    the 

Mr.  almost  unlimited    trust   which    Mr.    Brassey 

Brassey's 

trust  in  his  placed   In  his  assents.     At  that  remote  dis- 

agents,  ^  ^ 

tance  he  could  not  well  supervise  or  control 
the  estimates,  and  certainly  he  did  not  at- 
tempt to  do  so.  When  asked,  *  Did  Mr. 
Brassey  look  over  your  figures  ?'  the  witness 
replied,  '  No,  I  had  to  take  the  work  before 
I  consulted  him/  Q.  '  He  was  absolutely  in 
your  hands  ?'     A.  *  He  was  indeed.' 

The  final  questions  put  by  Mr.  Brassey's 
son  to  this  witness  brought  forth  answers 
which  may  be  instructive  to  all  employers  of 
labour  : — 

Q.  Did  your  correspondence  with  my  father 
produce  upon  your  mind  the  Impression  that 
you  were  labouring  with  and  for  a  watchful 
employer  ? 

^.  I  do  not  think  It  was  so  much  that,  as 
the  extreme  confidence  he  always  placed  In 
his  assistants.  I  think  they  could  not  help 
feeling  that  they  had  his  confidence. 


WORKS  IN  AUSTRALIA.  243 


Q.  You  would   say,    I   suppose,  therefore,     chap. 

that   the    stimulus    with    you   to  exertion   in  • — ' 

Australia  was  rather  the  feeling  that  you 
enjoyed  the  unlimited  confidence  of  Mr. 
Brassey,  than  that  you  were  v/orking  under 
any  kind  of  supervision  ? 

A.  Just  so.     I  could  not  say  too  much  in. 
his  favour. 


&2 


[     244     ] 


CHAP. 

XVIII. 


The 

Argentine 

Railway. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY, 
(A.D.  1864.) 

OF  all  Mr.  Brassey's  undertakings  there  Is 
not  one  which  has  more  attraction  for 
me,  and  which,  I  think,  will  more  Interest  my 
readers,  than  the  Argentine  Railway.  I  have 
for  a  long  time  thought  that  South  America 
offers  the  finest  opportunities  for  emigration 
and  colonization.  I  have  in  another  work,  ^ 
o-iven  a  description  of  the  climate,  the  trees, 
the  fruits  and  the  cereals,  which  are  to 
be  found  in  some  parts  of  that  magnificent 
continent.     I  subjoin  this  extract : — 

'  It  has  lakes,  rivers,  and  woods;  and  in  the 
character  of  its  scenery  much  resembles  an 
English  park.     It  is  rich   in  trees  of  every 


*  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  vol.  iv. 


n 


CHILE 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  245. 

description — cedars,    palms,    balsams,    aloes,     chap. 

^  ^  .  XVIII. 

cocoa-trees,  walnut-trees,  spice-trees,  almonds,   ■ — ' 

the  cotton  plant,  the  quinaquina  that  produces  Descrip- 
the  Jesuits'  bark,  and  another  tree  of  which  country 

of  the 

the  inner  bark  is  so  delicate  and  white  that  it  Argentine 

Republic. 

can  be  used  as  writing-paper.  There  is  also 
the  ceyba-tree,  which  yields  a  soft  woolly 
substance,  of  which  the  natives  make  their 
pillows. 

*  The  fruits  of  this  most  fertile  land  are 
oranges,  citrons,  lemons,  the  American  pear, 
apples,  peaches,  plums,  figs,  and  olives. 
The  bees  find  here  their  special  home  ;  and 
twelve  different  species  of  them  are  enumer- 
ated, some  of  which  form  their  nests  in  the 
trees  in  the  shape  of  a  vase.  The  woods  are 
not  like  the  silent  forests  of  North  America, 
but  swarm  with  all  kinds  of  birds,  having 
every  variety  of  note  and  feather,  from  the 
soft  colours  of  the  wild  dove  to  the  gay 
plumage  of  the  parrot;  from  the  plaintive 
note  of  the  nightingale  to  the  dignified  noise 
of  those  birds  which  are  said  to  imitate  the 
trumpet  and  the  organ.* 


246 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 


CHAP. 
XVIII. 


The 

Argentine 
Railway  an 
enterprise 
of  a 

peculiar 
nature. 


Coloniza- 
tion and 
conquest. 


The 

Rosario 

and 

Cordova 

Railway. 


I  think  that  this  Argentine  enterprise  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  will  have  more  important  results 
than  any  other  of  his  undertakings.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  railways  which  Mr. 
Brassey  and  his  various  partners  constructed 
in  Great  Britain,  France,  Italy,  and  Austria, 
would  have  been  constructed,  though  not 
perhaps  so  quickly  or  so  well,  by  other 
persons  :  but  the  Argentine  Railway  is  an 
enterprise  of  a  most  peculiar  nature,  fraught, 
as  I  trust  it  will  be,  with  the  orreatest 
results.  It  is  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
railway  constructions  that  railway  promoters 
have  been  great  colonizers.  Hitherto  coloni- 
zation has  mostly  been  preceded  by  con- 
quest ;  and  that  fact  alone  has  placed 
immense  difficulties  in  the  way  of  judicious 
colonization.  Conquest,  indeed,  is  too  fa- 
vourable a  w^ord  to  describe  the  buccaneering 
expeditions  which,  from  the  earliest  periods 
of  the  world's  history,  have  led  to  the  dis- 
covery and  occupation  of  new  lands. 

The  principal  point  to  be  noticed  in  the 
formation  of  this  Argentine  Railway,  is  the 
contract    entered     into    by    the    Argentine 


THE  ARGEMINE  RAILWAY,  24.J 


Government   with     the     promoters.        That     chap. 

^  XVIII. 


Government,  in  their  concession,  engaged  to  ' 
put  the  company  in  possession  of  one  league 
of  land  on  each  side  of  the  railway  throughout 
its  entire  extent,  commencing  at  the  distance 
of  four  leagues  from  the  stations  of  Rosario 
and  Cordova,  and  one  league  from  each  of 
the  towns,  San  Geronimo  and  Villa  Nueva, 
subject  to  the  condition  of  such  lands  being 
peopled.  The  contractors  for  the  railway, 
Messrs.  Brassey,  Wythes,  and  Wheelwright, 
accepted  from  the  railway  company  one-half 
of  the  above-mentioned  lands  in  part  payment 
of  their  contract  price.  There  were  no 
special  difficulties  in  the  construction  of  the 
Argentine  Railway.  Indeed,  so  easy  was  the 
ground  that  for  part  of  the  way  the  rails  had 
only  to  be  laid  on  the  sleepers  over  the  bare 
earth,  a  simple  trench  at  either  side  being 
dug  to  carry  off  any  surface  drainage. 

I  doubt  whether,  in  the  history  of  railway 
enterprise,  there  has  been  anything  so  largely 
beneficial  to  the  country  wherein  a  railway 
has  been  introduced,  or  anything  which  has 
afforded   such   favourable    opportunities    for 


A  D.  1863. 


248  THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 

emigration  as  this  Argentine  Railway — especi- 
ally seeing  that  It  is  coupled  with  the  posses- 
sion by  enterprising  men,  of  land  *  marching ' 
Railway  (to  use  a  word  well  known  in  the  north  of 
to^migra-  England)  with  the  whole  length  of  the 
railway.  It  has  been  well  observed  that 
in  most  cases  in  which  a  new  country  is 
peopled,  the  colonization  spreads  out  in 
somewhat  of  a  circular  or  semicircular  form. 
People,  seeking  new  lands  at  cheaper  prices, 
perpetually  move  onwards,  throwing  them- 
selves and  their  fortunes  Into  regions  un- 
civilized, and  unpeopled,  or  thinly  occupied 
by  hostile  tribes.  In  going  to  the  Argentine 
Republic,  the  colonizer  may  occupy  land  re- 
mote from  cities,  and  therefore  cheap,  and  yet 
find  himself  In  immediate  contact  with  one  of 
the  principal  means  and  appliances  of  modern 
Railways     clvIlIzatlon.       In  aucleut  days,  as  w^e  know, 

in  contrast 

with  rivers  population  and  civilization  followed  the  courses 

as  means  of 

transport,  of  rIvers ;  but  what  are  rivers  as  a  means 
of  transport,  when  compared  with  railways  ? 
Rivers  are  seldom  navigable  throughout 
their  course,  and  are  subject  to  great  varia- 
tions, affecting   much  their   usefulness.     He 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  249 

would   have  been  thoug^ht  a  e^reat  maoriclan     chap. 

^  ^  ^^  XVIII. 

in  former  ages,  who  could  have  promised,  — • — 
and  have  fulfilled  his  promise,  to  place  for  a 
great  distance,  through  a  most  fertile  but 
unpeopled  country,  something  compared  with 
which,  as  a  means  of  transit,  rivers,  canals, 
and  even  Roman  roads,  sink  into  insigni- 
ficance. 

I  think  this  matter  so  important  and  so 
intimately  connected  with  my  subject,  as 
showing  the  benefits  conferred  by  railway 
enterprise  In  general,  and  by  this  one  of 
Mr.  Brassey's  enterprises  in  particular,  that  I 
shall  subjoin,  some  extracts  from  an  account, 
with  which  I  have  been  furnished,  of  the 
emigration  Into  the  Argentine  Republic. 

The  Argentine  Republic  extends  from  41° 
to  22°  S.L.,  1,320  miles  in  a  straight  line. 
The  whole  surface  of  the  country  is  estimated 
at  726,000  square  miles,  being  equal  in  extent 
to  Russia.  How  stupidly,  or  at  least  how 
unfortunately,  the  world  has  hitherto  been 
peopled !  The  population  of  Russia,  that 
hard-featured  country,  is  about  75,000,000  : 
the  population  of  the  Argentine  Republic,  to 


250  THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 

CHAP,    which  nature  has  been  so  bountiful,  and  In 

XVIII. 

' — '  which  she  is  so  beautiful,  is  about  1,000,000. 

Mr.  '  It  is  watered  by  the  gigantic  River  Plate, 

WoolcOtt's        ,  •  -r»  ITT  1 

evidence      the  great  rivers  rarana  and    Uruguay,  and 
Argentine    a    multitude    of  Subordinate    and    navigable 

Republic.  a  i  •    i 

Streams.  buenos  Ayres,  tne  commercial 
metropolis  of  the  country.  Is  a  city  of  200,000 
inhabitants,  of  whom  more  than  one  fourth 
are  foreigners,  and  possesses  an  import  and 
export  trade  amounting  to  nearly  700,000,000 
dollars  per  annum. 
Argentine        '  The  tract  of  land  conceded  to  the  Central 

Railway 

Com-         Argentine  Railway  Company  lies   on  either 

pany's 

land.  side  of  their  line,  which  connects  the  port  of 

Rosarlo  on  the  Parana  with  the  city  of  Cor- 
dova, a  distance  of  246  miles,  and  comprises 
upwards  of  1,200  square  miles  of  some  of  the 
finest  lands  In  the  Republic.  The  tract  lies 
between  the  parallels  of  latitude  31°  and  33° 
south  ;  the  lands  adjacent  to  Rosarlo  being  in 
33'',  and  those  nearest  Cordova  in  31°.  They 
consequently  lie  within  the  temperate  zone, 
Tempera-  ^Ith  no  great  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  In 
^'^^^'  summer  the  temperature  in  the  open  country 

is  seldom  above  80°  In  the  shade,  with  cool 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  25  I 

nights ;  and  In  winter  the  average  tempera-  chap. 
ture  is  from  45°  to  50°  for  two  or  three  ' 
months,  the  mercury  sometimes  falHng  in  the 
night  to  32°,  or  freezing  point.  Snow  never 
falls,  but  there  are  occasional  hailstorms. 
There  is  no  regular  rainy  season.  Rain  may 
be  looked  for  at  any  time  during  the  year, 
but  it  is  generally  more  prevalent  in  the 
spring  months  of  October  and  November, 
and  the  commencement  of  the  winter  season 
in  May  and  June.  Emigrants  will  observe 
that  the  seasons  are  reversed  from  those  they 
witness  in  Europe.  The  winter  season  here 
is  summer-time  in  the  River  Plate,  and  vice 
versa.  Fuel  for  the  purposes  of  warmth  is 
superfluous,  but  warm  clothing  and  blankets 
are  necessary  in  the  winter  months. 

'  Rosario,  the  starting-point  of  the  Central  Rosario. 
Argentine  Railway,  is  situated  on  the  Parana 
River,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  180 
miles  above  Buenos  Ayres,  and  accessible  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year  for  ships  of  800  tons ; 
with  an  excellent  port,  and  facilities  for  load- 
ing and  discharging  very  far  superior  to  those 
possessed  by  the  metropolis.    A  large  number 


252  THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 


CHAP,    of    ocean    vessels,    which    are   sfenerallv   of 

XVIII.  ^  ^ 


'      '  300,  400,  and  500  tons  register,  resort  to  this 
Commerce  port,  taking  cargoes  of  coal,  lumber,  railroad 

ofRosario, 

material,  and  merchandize  of  every  descrip- 
tion ;  and  loading  with  wool,  hides,  flour, 
dried  beef,  tallow,  hair,  oil,  bone-ash,  copper, 
and  other  productions  of  the  vast  and  rich 
territory  that  stretches  for  1,000  and  1,200 
miles  to  the  west  and  north-west  of  Rosario. 
This  town,  which  has  only  an   existence   of 

its  popu-     some  fifteen  years,  and  contains  now  a  popu- 
lation. 

latlon  of  25,000,  is  the  natural  outlet  and  sea- 
port of  the  wealthy  provinces    of  Cordova, 
Mendoza,   San    Juan,   Tucuman,   Salta,  and 
others  of  less  importance. 
Cordova.  '  Cordova,  the  central  terminal  point  of  the 

railroad,  is  situated  in  a  deep  valley  on  the 
banks  of  a  river,  amidst  the  most  beautiful 
and  varied  scenery.  Ascending  from  the  city 
to  the  mountains,  the  traveller  finds  every 
variety  of  climate,  with  a  difference  of  tem- 
perature at  every  additional  ascent.  It  con- 
tains a  population  of  about  35,000  inhabitants, 
and  is  the  capital  of  a  large  and  wealthy  pro- 
vince, second  only  to  that  of  Buenos  Ayres. 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  25. 


*  The  province  produces  wheat,  maize,  and    ^^i^]['- 
other  cereals  in  abundance.     Cordova  wool   '      '      ' 
obtains  a  higher  price  than  any  other  in  the 
market. 

'  Fruits  of  all  kinds  produced  in  temperate 
and  semi-tropical  climates  are  abundant — 
apples,  pears,  cherries,  figs,  grapes,  pome- 
granates, oranges,  lemons,  &c.  Strictly 
tropical  fruit — such  as  pine- apples,  bananas, 
and  plantains — do  not  grow. 

*  The  great  range  of  mountains  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  city  contains  mines 
of  copper  and  silver,  and  quarries  of  various 
kinds  of  marble. 

'  The  best  proofs  of  the  adaptability  of  the  Agncui- 
Argentine  Republic  to   agricultural   pursuits  ^iiceof 
are  :    the  larp-e  amount  of  wheat   and    corn  Arc^entine 

^  Kepublic. 

already  grown  in  Cordova  and  forwarded  to 
Rosario  for  shipment;  the  increase  of  the  wheat 
crop  in  the  province  of  Santa  Fe,  within  the 
last  seven  years,  from  40,000  to  1,000,000 
of  bushels,  with  the  corresponding  increase  in 
all  other  farming  products;  and  the  undeni- 
able success  and  prosperity  of  the  agricultural 
colonies    in  the   country,  although  generally 


254  THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 

CHAP,    composed    of    second    and    third-rate    Immi- 

XVIII.  ^ 

^      ^         grants. 

*  The  only  thing  which,  perhaps,  may  have 
a  depressing  effect  on  the  spirits  of  a  new 
comer  on  arriving  to  establish  himself  on  the 
Argentine  plains.  Is  the  absence  of  trees,  and 
consequently  of  shade  for  himself  and  his 
cattle.^  The  fertility  of  the  soil.  Its  adapta- 
bility for  Immediate  cultivation,  the  dellclous- 
ness  of  the  climate,  the  grassy  waving  fields, 
are  perhaps  momentarily  forgotten  In  the 
monotonous  aspect  of  the  pampa  or  prairie. 
Thus  It  Is  of  Importance  that  the  colonist 
should  surround  himself,  as  soon  as  possible, 
with    what    Nature    has  forgotten  to  endow 

Dr.  these  regions — shade  and  fruit-trees. 

Scrivener's 

account  of        <  Dr.  ScHvcner,  who  has  himself  resided  for 

the 

country,      many   years    In    the    country,    says  :     "  The 


^  This  may  appear  inconsistent  with  what  has  been 
said  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter,  in  reference  to  the 
beauty  and  variety  of  the  trees  But  the  truth  is,  that 
the  lands  of  the  Company  along  the  course  of  the  railway 
are  situated  in  the  lowlands  :  the  description  of  the  trees 
applying  to  the  higher  regions,  and  has  especial  refer- 
ence to  those  parts  of  the  southern  part  of  America  which 
were  occupied  formerly  by  the  Jesuits. 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  255 

climate  is  fine  and  healthy  ;  the  lightness  of  chap. 
the  atmosphere  produces  an  exhilarating  ^  "^^  ' 
effect,  and  an  increase  of  energy  and  activity." 
And,  in  alluding  to  the  Andine  and  Cordova 
ranges,  he  remarks  :  "  I  have  traversed  these 
mountains  on  many  occasions,  and  am  there- 
fore enabled  to  form  an  opinion  of  the 
salubrity  of  the  climate,  as  also  of  that  on  the 
route  from  the  province  of  Cordova  to  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific.  All  over  this  vast 
tract  of  land,  that  fatal  enemy  of  man,  the 
tubercular  phthisis,  so  justly  feared  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Lima  and  Buenos  Ayres,  is 
entirely  unknown." 

*  During  the  summer  months  field  labourers  Wages  of 
can  earn  from  6^.  M.  to  %s.  3^.  daily.  Many  grants. 
of  the  w^ealthy  and  most  prosperous  men  in 
the  country  have  risen  from  the  very  lowest 
positions.  *'  Labouring  men,"  says  Mr.  W. 
Hadfield,  "  have  always  done  well  in  the 
country ;  ind  as  they  can  save  nearly  all  the 
wages  they  earn,  a  steady  man  can  soon  save 
up  sufficient  to  purchase  a  share  in  a  flock  of 
sheep.  The  lowest  wages  for  a  country 
labouring  man  is  about  2/.  a  month  ;  but  as 


256  THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 

he  becomes  more  accustomed  to  the  labour 
and  ways  of  the  country,  he  gets  to  earn 
double  and  treble  that  sum  In  four  or  six 
months,  being,  of  course,  fed  and  lodged  free 
of  any  expense  to  himself 

'  *'  The  total  imports  in  the  five  years, 
1865-69  were  of  the  average  a^imtal  value 
of  6,540,000/.  while  the  exports  averaged 
4,970,000/.  The  railway  lines  open  for  traffic 
in  September,  1870,  were  of  a  length  of  458 
English  miles,  while  sixty  miles  more  were 
under  construction  at  the  same  date,  210  more 
miles  were  contracted  for,  and  400  miles  were 
in  course  of  being  surveyed."  ' 

The  foregoing  extracts  show  the  great 
capabilities  for  emigration  opened  up  by  the 
Argentine  Railway.  At  present,  the  unsettled 
political  state  of  many  parts  of  South 
America  must  be  admitted  to  be  a  drawback 
to  emigration  to  that  continent.  This  draw- 
back, however,  is  one  which  will  continually 
diminish  by  the  gradual  Influx  of  emigrants 
from  Europe.  These  will  form  a  compact 
body,   able    to   resist   any   incursions  of  the 


THE  ARGENTINE  RAILWAY.  257 


natives,  and  also  able  to  control  and  master    chap. 

XVIII. 

any  difficulties  that  may  arise  from  the  trou-  ' — « — 


blous  condition  of  certain  of  the  neighbouring 
States.  The  want  of  good  government  has 
been  the  bane  of  many  portions  of  a  region 
of  the  world  which  is  not  only  very  fertile  and 
very  healthy,  but  which  has  also  resources 
which  make  it  likely  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
centres  of  commercial  enterprise. 


[    258    ] 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  YS. 
(A.D.  1858-64.) 


CHAP. 
XIX. 


E 


VERY  railway,  or  group  of  railways,  the 
construction  of  which  has  been  men- 
tioned  In   this   work,  has  been  Intended  to 
Illustrate  some  special  circumstance  of  railway 
formation.    The  Moldavian  Railways  are  now 
Difficulties  brought  forward  In  order  to  show  the  diffi- 

of  nego- 
tiating       cultles  of  negotiation  which  often  precede  the 

railways. 

construction  of  railways  or  any  other  public 
works. 

In  December  1858,  M.  Adolphe  de  Herz, 
then  of  Frankfort,  addressed  Mr.  Netlam 
Giles  a  letter,  proposing  the  formation  (through 
Mr.  Brassey),  of  a  company  for  constructing  a 
railway  from  the  Austrian  Carl-Ludwig  Rail- 
way, at  Lemberg,  In   Gallcia,  to  Czernowitz 


MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  YS.  259 


and  the  Bukowlna  frontier  of  Austria;  and     chap. 

XIX. 


thence,    through    Moldavia,    by    Roman    to ^ 

Galatz  on  the  Lower  Danube,  with  branches 
to  Jassy  (the  capital),  and  to  the  salt  mines 
of  Okna. 

This  railway  was  to  be  upwards  of  500 
miles  long,  and  roughly  estimated  would  cost 
about  6,500,000/. 

In  the  reply  to  M.  Adolphe  de  Herz,  J|"-  4, 
delay  was  suggested  on  the  ground  that, 
in  the  face  of  the  Emperor's  speech  to  the 
Austrian  Ambassador  on  the  ist  instant,  it 
was  utterly  impossible  to  hope  that  capitalists 
would  at  that  moment  entertain  the  question 
of  constructing  Austrian  railways. 

It  was  urged  upon  M.  de  Herz  that  he 
should  not  press  his  project  now  : — *'  wait  a 
few  weeks  : "  it  was  said, — "  we  shall  either 
have  war  or  peace  : — nothing  can  be  worse 
than  the  present  uncertainty : — no  one  will 
listen  to  you  now ;  not  even  if  you  offer 
diamonds  for  chalk  stones." 

If  it  were  not  a  too  self-evident  proposition, 
one  might  dilate  upon  the  injury  to  all  good 
work  effected  by  war,  or  by  the  fear  of  war. 

S2 


26o 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP. 
XIX. 


Reopening 
of  nego- 
tiations 
after  the 


July,  1861. 


Messrs. 
McClean 
and  Stile- 
man  take 
up  the 
question. 


The  Emperor  of  France,  on  his  fete  day, 
makes  a  remark,  which  Is  not  supposed  to  be 
friendly,  to  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  and 
immediately  a  good  work,  for  distant  Mol- 
davia, is  set  aside. 

The  war  between  France  and  Piedmont 
and  Austria  having  terminated,  the  rail- 
way negotiations  were  re-commenced  ;  but, 
as  the  conditions  for  a  concession  of  the 
Moldavian  section  of  the  project  had  been 
agreed  upon  in  favour  of  M.  Mavrojeny  of 
Jassy,  and  as  no  concession  had  then  been 
demanded  from  the  Austrian  Government  of 
the  section  from  Lemberg  to  Czernowitz  and 
the  Bukowina  frontier,  it  was  decided  that 
efforts  should,  in  the  first  instance,  be  directed 
towards  the  construction  of  the  Moldavian 
section  (about  300  miles).  Mr.  Giles  there- 
upon introduced  the  project  to  Messrs. 
McClean  and  Stileman,  and  to  Mr.  Brassey. 
Messrs.  McClean  and  Stileman  undertook 
the  engineering,  and  as  no  surveys  existed, 
Mr.  McClean,  in  that  enterprising  and  liberal 
spirit  which  all  who  know  him  must  recognise, 
as  he,   too,   has   been   one   of  the   foremost 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS.  261 


leaders  of  labour  in  our  time,  offered  to  report    chap. 

XIX. 


upon  the  line.  Accordingly,  in  September  " 
1 86 1,  the  whole  line  from  Lemberg  to  Galatz 
was  examined  by  Mr.  McClean ;  and  on 
November  25,  Messrs.  McClean  and  Stile- 
man  made  a  report,  recommending  the 
contract  for  the  Moldavian  section  to  be 
given  to  Mr.  Brassey,  Sir  Morton  Peto,  and 
Mr.  Betts  at  the  sum  of  2,880,000/.,  or  9,600/. 
per  mile. 

On  April  25,  1862,  a  concession  was  granted 
by  the  United  Principalities  of  Wallachia  and 
Moldavia  to  M.  Mavrojeny  and  the  Prince  ^ 
Leo  Sapieha  (chairman  of  the  Carl-Ludwig 
Company),  of  the  Moldavian  portion  of  the 
above  railway  (300  miles),  with  a  guarantee 
of  6/  per  cent,  on  a  capital  fixed  at  11,584/. 
per  mile. 

There  was,  however,  in  this  concession  a 
condition  which  rendered  it  valueless.  It  was 
stipulated  that  the  whole  300  miles  should 
be  completed  in  five  years.  The  Govern- 
ment of  the  Principalities  being  only  a  year 
old,  its  credit  in  the  markets  of  Europe  was 
not  such  as  to  make  it  in  the  least  degree 


262  MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  YS. 


CHAP,    probable   that    the    requisite    sum    could    be 

^ — ' — '  raised.       Messrs.    Glyn,     Mr.     Brassey    and 

others  proposed  that  the  concession  should  be 

modified  by  dividing  the  line  into  sections,  to 

be  executed  successively ;  and  they  offered  to 

provide  the  funds,  and  to  construct  the  first 

section  from  Galatz  to  Adjud  (80  miles)  upon 

the    Government    guarantee    named    above. 

But  the   Government  refused  to  modify  the 

concession.      Accordingly,   the  project  in  its 

entirety  was  laid  before  the  public  at  the  end 

of  June   1862;  but  they  were  not  attracted 

by   the   project,   and  did   not  subscribe  the 

requisite  capital. 

Letter  of         Prince  Sapieha  having  requested  Mr.  Bras- 

Brassey       sey's  Opinion  as  to  the  best  mode  of  proceeding, 

Sapieha.      Mr.  Brassey  addressed  to  him  the  following 

letter : — 

London  :  July  i8,  1862. 

Prince, — After  full  consideration  of  the  Moldavian 
Railway  project,  it  seems  that  we  are  both  of  opinion  that 
there  is  a  serious  defect  in  it ;  namely,  that  it  has  no 
junction  with  your  Carl- Lud wig  Railway  at  Lemberg  ; 
and  I  fear  you  will  have  considerable  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing the  support  of  the  public  to  an  isolated  scheme  for 
the  Principality  of  Moldavia. 

If  a  company  could  be  formed  for  the  entire  line  from 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS.  263 


Lemberg  to  Galatz,  with  the  branches  to  Jassy  and  Okna,      CHAP. 

A.1A.. 

it  would,  I  think,  be  flivourably  received  ;  and  I  venture   -^ , — - 


to  suggest  that  your  Highness  endeavour  to  form  a  com- 
bination with  Baron  Ansehn  Rothschild  and  your  friends 
at  Vienna  for  carrying  it  out. 

You  will  easily  be  able  to  form  an  approximate  idea  of 
the  capital  required;  and  should  my  co-operation  as 
contractor  be  thought  desirable,  you  may  consider  I  will 
accept  one-third  of  the  contract  price  which  may  be 
agreed  upon  in  shares  of  the  company. 

I  shall  be  in  Paris  to-morrow  night,  and  will  make  a 
point  of  conferring  with  Mr.  Talabot  on  the  subject. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c., 

Thomas  Brassey. 

Baron  Anselm  de  Rothschild  and  M. 
Talabot  declined  to  embark  in  the  undertak- 
ing, and  nothing  was  done  in  the  matter  until 
June  1863.  In  that  year  Messrs.  McClean 
and  Stileman,  again  willing  to  facilitate  the 
project,  made  definitive  studies  of  part  of  the 
line  at  their  own  expense.  After  protracted 
negotiations  at  Bucharest,  the  promoters  of 
tlie  railway  succeeded  in  making  a  prelimi- 
nary arrangement  with  the  Government  for 
a  new  concession,  with  a  guarantee  of  7^ 
per  cent.,  on  a  capital  fixed  at  12,800/. 
per  mile,  instead  of  6  per  cent,  on  11,584/. 
per  mile  as  originally  granted.     The  line  to  be 


264  MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  YS. 


CHAP,  constructed  in  independent  sections,  and  the 
— •- — '  Principalities  to  subscribe  one-fourth  of  the 
capital.  These  conditions  were  submitted  by 
Mr.  Brassey  and  the  other  promoters  of  the 
railway  to  the  International  Financial  Society, 
in  August  1863,  but  they  declined  to  co- 
operate in  the  undertaking. 

Not  daunted  by  these  repeated  failures  or 
discouragements,  Mr.  Brassey  and  his  friends 
in  the  winter  of  that  same  year,  renewed  the 
negotiations  at  Bucharest  with  the  hope  of 
obtaining  a  definitive  concession  in  the  terms 
agreed  upon  In  the  preceding  June.  Mean- 
while, however,  an  adversary  had  entered 
the  field,  the  well-known  Spanish  banker 
Offer  of  and  capitalist,  the  Marquis  Salamanca,  who, 
with  M.  Gustave  de  la  Hante,  had  offered  to 
take  the  whole  line,  and  relieve  the  Govern- 
ment from  their  subscription  of  one  fourth  of 
the  capital.  The  Government  announced 
their  preference  of  Sefior  Salamanca's  offer 
to  that  of  Mr.  Brassey,  and  recommended 
the  Chamber  to  accept  it.  Mr.  Giles  then 
said  to  the  reigning  Prince  Couza,  '  Let 
Salamanca  and  De  la  Hante  have  the  con- 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS.  265 


cession.      I     return    to    EnMand,    and    wish     citap 

.  XIX. 

your  Highness  good  morning.'  The  Prince,  "■"~"^'  ' 
however,  would  not  hear  of  this  abrupt  de- 
parture. What  the  Prince  desired  was  a 
fusion  between  Salamanca's  party  and  Mr. 
Brassey's.  Eventually  this  was  effected  ; 
and  a  concession  granted  for  the  whole  line 
to  Salamanca,  De  la  Hante,  Mavrojeny, 
Sapieha,  Peto,  Brassey,  and  Betts,  upon 
terms  which  Mr.  Brassey  and  his  friends 
informed  the  Government  at  the  time  would 
prove  unacceptable  to  the  public. 

Then    there  was  a  meeting:  between  Mr.  Meeting  in 

<=>  London. 

Brassey  and  Salamanca  in  London.  The 
terms  of  the  concession  were,  that  the  con- 
cessionaires might  issue  three  fourths  of  the 
capital  (about  4,000,000/.)  in  bonds,  Sala- 
manca's view  being  that  the  line  could  be 
made  entirely  with  the  proceeds  of  the  bonds, 
and  the  shares  (whatever  they  were  worth) 
would  be  the  contractors'  profit. 

The  Marquis  proposed  to  issue  the  bonds 
at  once  rand  Mr.  Brassey  said,  'Mr.  Sala- 
manca, before  we  can  issue  bonds,  the  shares 


2  66  MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  YS. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 

offer. 


CHAP,    must  be  paid  up  :  and  I  am  not  prepared  to 
— -^^ — '  say  that  we  can  get  these  shares  placed.' 

Several  schemes  were  suggested  and  dis- 
cussed for  getting  over  this  difficulty,  none  of 
which  however  were  satisfactory  to  Mr. 
Brassey,  who,  with  his  characteristic  scrupu- 
lousness, declined  to  assent  to  any  course, 
except  that  of  a  bond  fide  sale  of  the  shares, 
or  an  advance  upon  them  to  the  extent  of  the 
value  they  represented. 

He  therefore  said  to  the  Marquis,  '  Look 
here,  Mr.  Salamanca,  if  you  and  your  friends 
will  put  500,000/.  down  on  the  table  any  day 
you  like  to  name,  I  and  my  friends  will  do  so 
too  :  then  the  shares  will  be  paid  up,'  and 
there  can  be  no  possible  objection  to  the . 
bonds  being  issued. 

The  view  taken  by  the  British  contractor 
on  this  occasion  is  one  which  will  certainly 
recommend  itself  to  the  public;  and  it  affords 
a  striking  instance  of  the  extreme  sensitive- 
ness of  Mr.  Brassey  in  those  dealings  in 
which  the  public  were  concerned.  There 
were  further  negotiations  between  Mr. 
Brassey  and   Salamanca,  but  they   came  to 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS.  267 


nothing.      Ultimately,  the  Marquis  obtained     chap. 
another  concession  on  his  own  account  from  ^"^    '      ' 
the  Government  of  the  Principalities  ;  but  he 
was  again  unable  to  carry  it  out. 

Mr.  de  Herz,  the  original  proposer  of  the 
railway,  again  appears  upon  the  scene.  He 
had  settled  at  Bucharest  as  the  manager  of 
the  Roumanian  Bank,  and  had  discussed  the 
question  of  the  railway  with  Prince  Couza, 
who  was  greatly  discouraged  on  account  of 
the  Marquis's  efforts  having  failed.  The 
Prince  asked  if  Mr.  Brassey  would  recom- 
mence negotiations — a  question  which  was 
conveyed  to  the  English  promoters  of  the 
railway. 

Meanwhile,  the  line  from  Lemberg  to 
Czernowitz  had  been  constructed,  and  Mr. 
Brassey  was  upon  the  point  of  completing 
the  line  from  Czernowitz  to  the  Moldavian 
frontier  at  Suczawa,  on  behalf  of  the  Lemberg 
and  Czernowitz  Company.  It  was  thought 
desirable  that  the  concession  should  be  de- 
manded by  this  Company.  The  Chevalier 
d'Ofenheim  therefore  proceeded  to  Bucha- 
rest, and  on  June  7,  1868,  a  concession  was 


268  MOLD  A  VI AN  RAIL  WA  VS. 


CHAP,    granted  to  Mr.  Brassey  and  others,  nominee's 
^- — ' — '  of  the  company,  for  that  part  of  the  original 
project  which   extended    from   the   Austrian 
frontier  to  Roman,  with  branches  to  Jassy  and 
Botoschani,  under  the  terms  of  7|  per  cent, 
upon  14,000/.  per  mile,  with  a  subvention  (as 
fo7ids perdics)  of  2,500/.  per  mile  in  addition, 
terms  nearly  twice  as  onerous  to  the  Govern- 
ment as  those  asked  on  the  previous  occasion. 
Mr.    Brassey  was  employed  as  contractor 
for   the    Moldavian   lines   comprised   in   the 
concession  to  the  Lemberg  and   Czernowitz 
Company ;    and   a   portion   of    these    lines, 
namely,  those  from   Roman  and  Jassy  were 
completed  and  opened  in  1870,  in  Mr.  Bras- 
sey's  lifetime. 
Partial  Thus  Mr.   Brasscy,  after  negotiations  ex- 

tiienego-  tending  over  ten  years,  completed  only  360 
out  of  the  500  miles  of  which  the  original 
project,  mooted  in  1858,  consisted.  The 
remaining  140  miles  between  Roman  and 
Galatz  were  conceded  to  Dr.  Strousberg  in 
1868,  no  part  of  which  has  yet  been  opened. 

The  story  of  this  contract  affords  a  notable 
instance  of  the  quantity  of  work,  in  the  way  of 


MOLDAVIAN  RAILWAYS. 


269 


negotiation,  that  Mr.  Brassey  and  other  great    chap. 
contractors  have  had  to  undertake  before  the  "- — ^ — 


commencement  of  their  labours  of  construc- 
tion. 


[       270       ] 


CHAP. 
XX. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS. 

(A.D.    1858-1865.) 

I  AM  not  able  to  give  any  of  those  minute 
details  respecting  the  construction  of 
railways  in  India  which  have  been  given  in 
narrating  the  construction  of  railways  by 
Mr.  Brassey  and  his  partners  in  other  regions 
of  the  world. 

It  would,  hov/ever,  be  a  very  wrongful 
omission  if  I  were  to  omit  giving  some 
account  of  these  railways. 

The  account  that  I  am  enabled  to  produce  is 
entirely  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Charles  Henfrey. 
It  is  so  clear  and  succinct  that  I  have  not 
ventured  to  alter  or  to  abridge  it ;  and  though 
it  consists  only  of  a  lucid  statement  of  the 
principal  facts,  it  will  doubtless  be  read  with 


THE  INDIAN  RAIL  WA  YS.  2  7 1 


interest   by   those   who   concern  themselves    chap. 

XX. 


with  the  affairs  of  that  great  empire  in  which  "-  ' 
the  British  race  has  shown  more  skill  in 
government,  more  aptitude  for  organization, 
and,  I  think  I  may  say,  more  consideration 
for  the  native  peoples,  than  has  been  witnessed 
in  any  other  part  of  our  vast  dominions  and 
extensive  colonies.  Not  the  least  boon  that 
we  have  been  the  means  of  giving  to  the 
people  of  India,  is  the  railway  system  that  has 
been  established  there.  In  this  small  island, 
now  intersected  in  all  directions  by  railways, 
the  advantages,  however  great,  of  railway 
communication  are  small  when  compared 
with  those  derived  from  the  introduction  of 
railways  into  countries  of  great  extent  and 
magnitude,  such  as  Canada  and  India. 

There  are,  for. instance,  many  consequences  impor- 

,.,     1  (.  .,  .  .       tange  of 

hkely  to  ensue  trom  railway  construction  in  railway 
India,  which  may  be  adduced  to  support  the  cation  in 
rather  strong  statement  I  have  made  in  the 
preceding  sentence.  I  may  mention  some  of 
them;  such  as  a  probable  breaking  down  of 
caste  ;  the  opportunity  for  bringing  students 
from  great  distances  to  the  central  establish- 


272 


THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP. 
XX. 


Mr. 

Henfrey's 

evidence. 


Eastern 
Bengal 
Railway, 


ments  of  instruction  ;  and,  that  which  must 
'  be  considered  the  greatest,  the  means  afforded 
by  railway  transit  of  lessening  the  calamitous 
effects  of  those  periodical  famines  which  have, 
at  various  times,  rendered  desolate  extensive 
regions  In  India.  Mr.  Brassey  and  his  co- 
adjutors must  ever  be  held  to  take  a  high 
place  among  those  who  have  furthered  colon- 
ization in  Canada,  and  material  welfare  of  all 
kinds  in  India. 

Mr.  Henfrey's  statement  Is  as  follows: — 
*  In  1858  Mr.  Brassey,  In  partnership  with 
Mr.  Wythes  and  Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  undertook 
the  construction  of  the  Eastern  Bengal  Rail- 
way, a  line  1 1 2  miles  in  length,  commencing 
at  Calcutta,  and  terminating  at  a  village 
named  Kooshtea  on  the  river  Ganges. 

'  Mr.  Brunei  was  the  consulting  engineer 
in  England,  and  Mr.  W.  Purdon  the  chief 
engineer  residing  in  India.  The  firm  had 
been  In  treaty  with  Messrs.  Hunt  and  Elmsly, 
who  had  just  completed  a  contract  on  the 
East  Indian  Railway,  for  the  execution  of  the 
Indian  work  of  this  contract;  but,  the  nego- 
tiation failing  through,   they  arranged   with 


THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS.  273 

Mr  Henfrey,   who   had  just   completed   the    chap. 
Ivrea    Railway  in    Italy,    to  join  them  as  a  ^•'    •      ' 
partner,  and  to  go  out  to  India  in  charge  of 
the  contract. 

'  Mr.  Henfrey  arrived  in  Calcutta  In  March 
1859,  but  was  unable  to  make  a  serious  com- 
mencement of  the  works  until  the  following 
November,  owing  to  the  Government  not 
having  placed  the  contractors  in  possession 
of  the  land. 

*  Mr.  Brassey's  usual  good  fortune  did  not  The 

.  .  Railwayan 

attend  him  m  this  enterprise.  1  he  contract  unfortu- 
had  been  entered  into  on  the  basis  of  a  sche-  lation. 
dule  of  prices,  to  be  applied  to  work  per- 
formed ;  and  these  prices  had  been  arrived  at 
from  Indian  experience  before  the  mutiny, 
the  last  embers  of  which  had  been  stamped 
out  in  1858.  There  was  no  other  guide  to 
Indian  prices  ;  for  but  little  work  had  been 
carried  on  during  the  mutiny,  and  that  little 
under  very  exceptional  circumstances. 

'In  1859  the  great  political  changes  that 
had  taken  place,  and  the  extinction  of  the 
mutiny,  gave  an  extraordinary  impetus  to 
public  works  in  India,  and  the  prices  of  labour 

T 


2  74  THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS. 


CHAP,     and  building  materials  rose  upwards  of  30 
' — " — '  per  cent. 

*  In  consequence  of  the  numerous  works 
being  carried  on  simultaneously,  such  as  the 
East  Indian  Railway,  the  South-Eastern 
Railway,  the  drainage  works  of  Calcutta,  ex- 

fiden'cy  tensive  alterations  in  the  Calcutta  Circular 
Canal,  &c.  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
obtaininof  a  sufficient  amount  of  labour  for 
this  contract,  even  at  the  enhanced  rates. 

*  In  spite  of  all  these  drawbacks,  and  in  the 
face  of  a  heavy  loss  on  the  Indian  portion  of 
the  contract,   the  works   were  perseveringly 

The  line      pushed  forward,  and  the  line  was  completed, 

completed. 

and  opened  throughout  for  traffic  at  the  end 
of  the  rainy  season  of  1862. 

*  The  cost  of  this  railway,  including  rolling 
stock,  was  about  14,000/.  per  mile. 

Delhi  'Mr.  Brassey's  next   Indian  contract  was 

for  the  construction  of  the  Delhi  Railway  ; 
in  partnership  with  Mr.  Wythes,  and  Mr. 
Henfrey. 

'Mr.  G.  P.  Bidder  was  the  consulting 
engineer   to   the  company  in   England,  and 


Railway. 


THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS.  275 


Mr.  Joseph  Harrison  the  chief  engineer  resi-    chap. 

XX. 

dent  in  India.  '      '""^ 

*  This  railway,  commencing  at  Ghazeeabad,  Deiin 

Railway. 

a  short  distance  from  Delhi,  on  the  East 
Indian  Railway,  terminated  at  Umritsir,  in 
the  Punjaub,  the  length  being  304  miles. 

*  The  firm  undertook  the  construction  of 
this  line,  including  all  the  works,  and  providing 
permanent  way,  station  materials,  and  par- 
tially rolling  stock,  at  the  fixed  rate  of 
14,630/.  per  mile. 

'  The  works  included  some  very  long  via- 
ducts over  the  rivers  Jumna,  Sutlej,  and 
Beeas,  besides  many  minor  structures  over 
rivers  which  would  have  been  thought  im- 
portant on  any  other  railway. 

*  All  the  ironwork  and  machinery  were  im- 
ported from  England,  and  had  to  be  carried 
upwards  of  1,000  miles  from  the  ports  where 
they  were  landed.  Including  rolling  stock, 
these  materials  weighed  nearly  100,000  tons. 

'  Mr.  Henfrey,  with  a  large  staff  of  assist- 
ants, arrived  in  India  at  the  beginning  of  1865, 
and  was  enabled  to  make  a  general  commence- 

T  2 


2^6  THE  INDIAN  RAILWAYS. 


^xx^'     ^^^^  of  the  works  after  the  rainy  season  of 

""    '      '  that  year. 

Rd?wa  *  Much  less  difficulty  was   experienced  in 

obtaining  labour  on  this  contract  than  on  the 
Eastern  Bengal  Railway,  mainly  owing  to 
.  the  Firm  having  become  known  to  the 
natives,  and  to  their  having  established  a 
reputation  for  fair  dealing  and  punctual  pay- 
ments. 

*  Besides  the  local  labour  of  the  Punjaub, 
a  great  number  of  work-people  from  Bengal, 
Oudh,  and  the  North-West  Provinces,  flocked 
to  the  line  so  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the 
works  were  fairly  commenced  :  and  through- 
out the  execution  of  the  contract  a  sufficient 
amount  of  labour  was  at  all  times  obtainable. 

Opening  of       *  Xhe  Stipulated  date  for  the  completion  of 

the  line.  ^ 

the  line  was  the  3rd  of  May,  1870;  but 
sections  of  the  line  were  opened  for  traffic  in 
anticipation  of  this  date,  and  so  early  as 
November  1868,  the  eastern  half  of  the  line, 
from  Umballa  to  Ghazeeabad,  was  opened 
with  becoming  ceremony  by  the  Viceroy  Sir 
John  Lawrence.  The  whole  railway  was 
completed  within  the  contract  time,  with  the 


THE  INDIAN  RAIL  WA  YS.  277 


exception  of  7  miles  across  the  Sutlej  Valley.  chai.\ 
It  had  been  found  necessary  in  1869  to  ^- — ^ — - 
lengthen  the  Sutlej  Viaduct  from  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  to  one  mile  and  a  quarter. 
This  additional  half-mile  of  Viaduct  was 
built  and  was  available  for  traffic  within 
twenty  months  from  the  order  being  given 
for  it  in  India,  so  that  in  October  1870,  the 
communication  between  Delhi  and  Umritsir 
was  uninterrupted.' 


L   278  ] 


CHAP. 
XXI. 


MR. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THOMAS  BRASSEY'S  RECOLLECTIONS  OF 
HIS  FATHER. 


I  HERE  Insert  a  chapter  composed  entirely 
of  extracts  from  the  correspondence  I 
have  had  with  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey,  the 
present  Member  for  Hastings,  on  the  subject 
of  his  father's  Hfe. 

I  have  said  before  that  I  have  always  been 
entirely  against  the  writing  of  eminent  men's 
lives  by  their  sons  ;  for  sons  are  manifestly 
prevented,  by  due  respect  and  filial  love,  from 
commenting  upon  the  faults  of  their  fathers. 
Now  these  faults,  which  sons  are  naturally 
averse  from  alluding  to,  are  often  only 
exaggerations  of  merits,  only  Indicate  that 
want  of  proportion  In  character  which  Is  to 
be  seen  even  In  the  most  remarkable  men — 


MR.    THOMAS  BRASSEY'S  RECOLLECTIONS.  279 


and  perhaps  indeed,  more  in  them  than   in     chap. 


Others  ;  notably  in  very  successful  men,  for 
great  success  is  often  the  result  of  great 
disproportion  in  character. 

It  will  be  seen  here  that  I  have  succeeded  Mr. 

1  •    •  •  r  T\  /r        -r*  >  •       Brassey's 

m  elicitmg  from  Mr.  Brasseys  son  what,  m  faults. 
his  opinion,  were  the  faults  of  his  father^s 
character.  And  it  will  also  be  seen  that 
these  faults  were,  as  I  suspected  they  would 
prove  to  be,  exaggerations  of  merits — virtues 
carried  in  this  world  to  an  extreme.  It 
could  hardly  be  expected  that  a  man  such  as 
Mr.  Brassey — whose  kindness  of  heart,  and 
gentleness  of  nature,  were  manifestly  de- 
veloped to  a  great  extent — should  not  some- 
times be  led  into  error  by  a  superabundance 
of  these  admirable  qualities. 

I    will    no   lono^er  detain  the  reader  from  ,, 

^  Mr. 

commencing  a  chapter  in  which  I  am  sure  ^rasTJ^^ 
he  will  feel  the  greatest  interest.  Mr.  ^^^^^^'^^ 
Thomas  Brassey  says  : — 

*  The  picture  of  my  father  would  be  incom- 
plete, which  should  represent  him  as  con- 
tracted in  tastes  and  sympathies,  and  caring 


28o  MR,    THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 

CHAP,    only  for  his  business    pursuits.     True  it  is, 

XXI. 

' — ' —  that  he  often  used  to  say,  in  reply  to  sugges- 
tions that  he  should  allow  himself  more 
rest  and  recreation,  that  he  found  his  greatest 
pleasure  in  the  administration  of  his  large 
undertakings ;  but  it  is  not  the  less  true  that 
he  took  a  lively  Interest  in  a  wide  and  varied 
range  of  subjects. 

*  The  very  nature  of  his  business  was  such, 
that  it  necessarily  expanded  the  mind  and 
quickened  the  powers  of  observation. 

Mr.  'He  delighted  in  all  that  appertains  to  the 

Brassey's  ^      ^  ^^ 

love  of       art  of  the  en2:ineer.     He  felt  a  keen  interest 

engineer-  ^ 

^°g-  in    the    designs    which    he    was    employed 

in  executing,  and  often  discussed  and  criti- 
cised their  scientific  merit.  Whenever,  in 
his  business  journeys,  he  found  himself  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  a  great  engineering 
w^ork,  he  made  a  point  of  examining  it 
with  care.  At  one  time  he  was  frequently 
in  Savoy.  The  opportunities  thus  afforded 
of  closely  watching  the  progress  of  the  tunnel 

Mont         under  Mont  Cenis,  recently  completed,  were 

Cenis  •        i  t  t  •  i         i      i   •  r 

Tunnel.  eagerly  seized.  He  was  m  the  habit  of 
studying  with   attention  every  novel  project 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  HIS  FATHER.  28 1 


in    the    eno^Ineerinof    world.       The     *  Great    chap. 

^  ^  XXI. 


Great 


Eastern '     steam    ship ;    ocean    telegraphy  ; 

Mr.     Hawkshaw's    project     for     a     tunnel  ErstTm 

under    the    Straits    of     Dover ;     the     Fell  Railway, 

Railway ;    the  electric    telegraph,   when   first 

brought    out    as    an    invention    of    practical 

utility ;  and  many  other  engineering  novelties,  and  other 

under- 
attracted  his   close  attention  ;  and,   in  many  takings, 

aided  by 

cases,  their  development  was   largely  due  to  ^^^• 
his  liberal  pecuniary  aid. 

*  Dr.  Cullen's  project  for  a  canal  through  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  was  closely  examined  by  isthmus 

of  Darien 

my  father  and  Sir  Charles  Fox.  At  their  Canai. 
expense  a  survey  across  the  isthmus  was 
made ;  and  the  hope  was  entertained  that 
material  assistance  might  be  obtained  from 
the  Governments  of  France  and  Eng- 
land. Our  parliamentary  system,  however, 
is  not  favourable  to  such  enterprises  ;  and 
the  late  Emperor  of  the  French,  though 
deeply  interested  in  the  idea  and  the  plans 
for  its  development,  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  take  any  active  steps. 

'When  travelling  abroad  or  at  home  my 
father    was    an   attentive    observer    of    the 


282  MR.  THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 

CHAP,  population,  and  of  every  indication  of  the 
'  '  '  commercial  and  agricultural  resources  of  the 
country  through  which  he  was  passing.  His 
Chicago,  visit  to  Chicago — which  city  is  perhaps  the 
most  conspicuous  example  of  sudden  pros- 
perity, accompanied  by  a  corresponding 
growth  of  the  population,  which  the  world 
has  ever  seen — excited  his  intense  interest. 
On  his  return  home,  instead  of  dwelling  upon 
the  misfortunes  which  had  been  the  occasion 
of  his  visit  to  Canada,  and  upon  his 
disappointment  at  the  result  of  his  mission, 
he  would  dilate  upon  the  innumerable 
contrivances  of  American  ingenuity  which  he 
had  admired  so  much  at  Chicago  and 
elsewhere.  He  had  an  admirable  faculty, 
perfected  by  constant  exercise,  for  estimating 
the  traffic  which  a  railway  in  any  given 
district  would  probably  secure.  A  journey 
through  Canada — a  newly  settled  country, 
with  an  uncertain  future — would  naturally 
lead  him  to  study  all  the  elements  of  indus- 
trial prosperity  which  were  presented  to  his 
observation.  On  his  return  to  E  norland  the 
results  of  his  observations  were  laid  before 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  283 

those  who    were  interested    in    the    subject    ™^_P- 
with    admirable    lucidity,    and    in    the    most  ^      ' 
compendious  form. 

*  Pie  felt   a  great  delight    in  the  beauties  Mr. 

Brassey's 

of  nature.      He  was   frequently    induced    to  love  of 

nature, 

diverge  for  a  day  or  two,  when  out  on 
a  business  journey,  to  visit  a  beautiful 
country.      Mountainous  scenery  afforded  him  and 

''  "^  ^       ^         delight  in 

immense  pleasure.      I  can  remember  his  in-  mountain 

scenery. 

variable  enjoyment  when  travelling  in  a  hill 
country,  whether  in  Wales  or  Scotland,  or 
amid  the  yet  grander  scenery  of  Switzerland 
and  the  Tyrol. 

'Whenever   he   travelled  abroad,   he  was  a  busy 

1  -1  TT  1  .   .         1        sight-seer. 

a  busy  sight-seer.  He  used  to  visit  the 
churches,  the  public  buildings,  the  picture 
galleries,  with  the  keenest  interest.  He 
would  seldom  leave  a  great  city,  though 
the  primary  object  of  the  visit  would  pro- 
bably have  been  some  matter  of  business, 
without  giving  almost  as  much  attention  to 
its  works  of  art  and  its  architectural  monu- 
ments as  the  ordinary  traveller,  whose  only 
object  is  the  love  of  art  or  change  of  scene. 
'  I  remember,  during  my  Rugby  days,  an 


284  MR.   THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP,  agreeable  journey  with  him  to  the  South  of 
^  '  ~"  France  :  his  object  being  to  inspect  the  works 
lion  of  the  on  the  Lyons  and  Avignon  Railway,  at  that 
Cairee.  time  Under  construction.  After  he  had  com- 
pleted his  examination  of  the  line,  he  deter- 
mined to  devote  a  couple  of  days  to  an 
excursion  from  Aviofnon  to  Nismes.  On 
our  way  from  the  station  at  Nismes  to  the 
hotel,  we  passed  the  Maison  Carree,  so  justly 
celebrated  for  the  exquisite  perfection  of  its 
architectural  proportions.  I  do  not  think 
that  he  had  heard  much  about  this  building, 
perhaps  he  might  never  have  heard  of  it 
before  ;  but  he  immediately  appreciated  its 
great  beauty,  and  remained  at  least  half  an 
hour  on  the  spot,  in  order  that  he  might 
thoroughly  examine  that  admirable  monu- 
ment of  ancient  art  from  every  point  of  view. 
The  excellent  judgment  in  architectural  art, 
and  the  sincere  and  unaffected  enjoyment  of 
the  beautiful,  which  he  displayed,  in  the 
instance  to  which  I  have  referred,  made  a 
strong  impression  on  my  youthful  mind. 

'  Since    that    time    I    have    observed,    on 
numberless    occasions,    the   same  judgment 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER,  285 

and  the  same  love  of  fine  architecture  exem-     chap. 

X.X.I. 

pllfied.  ..  ^      "■     " 

*  He    had   a   special   appreciation   of  fine  J;^^-     , 

^  ^  ^  Brassey  s 

sculpture.      I  have  often  heard  him  say  that  ^^^^^  ^^^ 

^  ''  sculpture, 

he  cared  more  for  sculpture  than  painting. 
When  he  visited  the  Royal  Academy  Ex- 
hibitions, in  the  old  quarters  in  Trafalgar 
Square,  he  never  failed  to  dive  into  the  dark 
and  gloomy  cave  to  which  British  sculpture 
was  so  unworthily  consigned.  Years  ago 
he  had  been  introduced  to  Gibson's  meri- 
torious pupil,  Spence,  the  sculptor  of  that 
charming  figure,  the  Highland  Mary.  Spence 
was  a  Liverpool  man ;  and  in  the  first  in- 
stance, it  may  be,  moved  by  old  local  sym- 
pathies, my  father  was  a  liberal  patron  of  his 
art.  Amxong  the  many  works  which  Spence 
executed  for  him,  the  most  important  was  a 
large  group,  the  '  Parting  of  Hector  and 
Andromache,'  which  occupied  a  place  of 
honour  in  the  International  Exhibition  of 
1862.  The  sculpture  galleries  of  the  Louvre 
were  a  favourite  resort;  and  the  Venus  of 
Milo  was  a  joy  to  my  father,  as  it  must  be 


286 


MR.  THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


Mr. 

Brassey's 
appre- 
ciation of 
paintings. 


I'aste  for 
Art  in 
every 
form  in 
which  it 
can  be 
applied. 


to  all  who  have  a  true  perception  of  what 
is  lovely  in  the  sculptor's  art. 

'  Though  he  may  have  had  a  stronger 
feeling  for  beauty  of  form  than  for  the  har- 
mony of  colour,  the  poetical  composition,  and 
the  wider  range  of  sentiment,  which  the 
painter  is  enabled  to  display,  he  had  a 
great  delight  in  fine  paintings.  Wherever 
he  went,  even  in  the  busiest  epoch  of  his 
career,  he  never  neglected  the  opportunity 
of  visiting  important  collections  of  pictures  in 
the  cities  through  which  he  passed.  During 
the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  when  his  broken 
health  at  times  almost  incapacitated  him 
from  devoting  the  entire  day  to  hard  work, 
he  often  found  a  grateful  relaxation  at  Christie 
and  Hanson's,  or  in  the  tempting  rooms  of 
Messrs.  Agnew. 

'  The  same  love  of  the  beautiful,  which 
made  him  delight  so  much  in  architecture, 
sculpture,  and  painting,  attracted  him  to  the 
less  pretentious,  but  still  very  real  merits,  of 
well-designed  furniture,  tasteful  dress,  and 
handsomely  decorated  porcelain.  I  have 
seen  him  Hnger  long,  and  with  great  Interest, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  287 


in  the  furniture   courts  of  international  ex-    ^^^^' 
hibitions.  '      ' 

*  For  porcelain  he  had  a  taste  of  early  Porce- 
development.  Just  in  the  same  way  as,  when 
he  travelled  on  the  Continent,  he  would  be 
sure  to  visit  any  important  gallery  of  paint- 
ings, so  he  would,  when  travelling  in  his 
own  country,  visit  its  great  factories  and 
workshops,  and  all  that  it  possessed  of  interest 
and  importance.  In  my  boyhood  I  was  once 
his  companion,  on  a  visit  of  inspection  to  the 
North  Staffordshire  Railway.  We  spent  a 
day  at  Stoke,  and  devoted  almost  the  whole 
morning  to  Minton's  pottery  and  porcelain 
works.  My  father  followed  attentively  every 
stage  of  the  manufacture ;  and  specially  ad- 
mired the  skill  of  the  ill-paid  artists,  innocent 
perhaps  of  the  value  of  their  own  talents, 
who,  working  in  a  room  of  small  dimensions 
and  oppressive  atmosphere,  are  employed  in 
painting  upon  the  porcelaine  de  hixe,  which 
adorns  the  tables  of  the  wealthy,  rich  nose- 
gays, luscious  fruits,  and  sweet  landscapes — 
things  so  well  imagined,  but  so  seldom 
seen,    by    men    in    their   position.     In   later 


288  MR.  THOMAS  BRASSES S 


CHAP,    days    he  could    seldom    accomplish    a   visit 

" ' — '  to  any  of  the  great    Exhibitions,    in    which 

British  ceramic  art  has  made  so  creditable 
a  display,  without  indulging  himself  in  some 
of  the  beautiful  works  which  he  had  seen. 
Rarely  were  these  purchases  intended  for 
himself  They  were  almost  Invariably  be- 
stowed upon  his  relatives  and  friends. 
Love  of  '  The  same  universal  appreciation  of  what 

Yachts. 

is  beautiful,  in  whatever  form  it  may  find 
expression,  made  him  feel  an  interest  even 
in  yachts,  which  are  my  peculiar  hobby.  In 
185 1,  long  before  I  had  ever  dreamed  of 
yachting,  the  celebrated  "  America"  came  to 
England,  and  astonished  our  old-fashioned 
yacht-builders  by  her  marvellous  speed.  My 
father  happened  to  be  at  Portsmouth  at  the 
time,  and  felt  so  deeply  Interested  In  the 
"  America,"  that  he  hired  a  boat — I  re- 
member well  the  evening  on  which  it 
occurred^ — and  made  the  boatman  pull  several 
times  round  the  yacht,  as  she  lay  In  Ports- 
mouth harbour.  Seen  from  ahead  the  sectional 
Tie  lines  of  the  "  America  "  above  water  present  a 

yacht.        close  resemblance  to  those  of  a  duck.     lie 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  289 


instantly  detected,  and  highly  appreciated,  this     chap. 
analogy  to  a  form  which  an  attentive  study  of  ^^     ^ 
Nature   seemed   to    have   suggested   to   the 
builder. 

'Again,  in  1858,  when  an  immense  fleet  of  Theyachts 

at  Cher- 
yachts  was  assembled  at  Cherbourg,  on   the  bourg. 

occasion  of  the  opening  of  the  new  docks, 
and  the  visit  of  Her  Majesty  to  the  Emperor 
of  the  French,  my  father — who  was  present 
on  the  occasion  officially,  as  contractor  for 
the  railway  from  Caen  to  Cherbourg,  opened 
by  the  Emperor  on  his  journey  to  Cherbourg — 
exhibited  a  lively  interest  even  in  the  yachting 
features  of  the  pageant.  I  was  then,  thanks 
to  his  generosity,  the  owner  of  a  small  yacht ; 
and  he  spent  hours  in  pulling  to  and  fro  in  my 
gig,  admiring  the  many  beautiful  vessels  of  the 
pleasure  fleet  of  England  anchored  there.  I 
remember  that  he  noticed  with  especial  com- 
mendation the  fine  appearance  of  the  schooner 
"  Constance."  Most  yachting  men,  who  were 
at  Cherbourg  in  1858,  will  endorse  his 
opinion. 

*  It   may  seem    unimportant,    and    yet,    as 
another    illustration    of   the   wide   range   of 
u 


290  AfR.   THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP,    subjects    in  which  a  liberal  mind  may  take 

A.  A.1. 


delight,  I  think  I  ought  to  allude  to  the 
admiration  which  he  was  wont  to  express 
for  the  troopers  of  the  Household  Brigade, 
their  stature,  their  horses,  and  the  style 
in  which  they  always  turn  out.  I  have 
seen  him,  after  one  of  those  handsome 
soldiers  had  passed  by,  turn  round,  and  watch 
him  striding  along  the  street  or  the  Park, 
with  all  the  delight  which  the  officer  com- 
manding one  of  Her  Majesty's  regiments 
might  have  felt  himself 

*  Though  unable,  from  a  variety  of  circum- 
stances, to  occupy  a  large  house,  or  reside 
very  regularly   in   London,    he  was   always 
fond  of  gathering  his  friends  together  at  the 
Love  of      social  board.     On  such  occasions  he  was  the 
ospiaiy.  i^jj^^^gg^  ^j^^  most  genial  host.     His  buoyant 

spirits  and  warm  welcome  made  every  guest 
feel  happy. 
Enjoyment       *  Clever  oeople,  who,  from  want  of  a  com- 

of  skilful 

oratory.  plete  cducatiou,  continued  long  enough  to 
establish  for  the  remainder  of  life  the  habit  of 
study,  are  unable  to  gather  instruction  easily 
from  reading,  are  generally  able  to  apprehend 


/ 


time. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER,  29 1 

the  more  readily  v/hatever  is  imparted  to  chap. 
them  by  oral  communication.  My  father,  '^ — ^  ' 
who  was  no  reader,  was  a  fastidious  and 
excellent  critic  of  public  speaking.  To  hear 
the  addresses  of  our  most  gifted  orators  on 
great  public  occasions,  was  to  him  an  exceed- 
ing delight. 

*  His  enormous  business  demanded  every  Demands 

on  Mr. 

moment  of  his  time  durine  the  working  ^rasse/s 
day,  and  left  him  no  leisure  for  literary 
culture  or  reading  newspapers,  still  less  for 
reading  books;  but  by  a  kind  of  intuitive 
faculty,  and  by  gleaning  what  could  be 
gathered  in  conversation  with  those  whom 
he  saw  from  time  to  time  during  the  day,  he 
was  always  well  posted  up  in  the  more 
important  political  events  of  the  time. 

*  He  very  rarely  read  the  reports  of  debates 
in  Parliament;  but  I  can  remember,  many 
years  ago,  the  admiration  which  he  always 
expressed  for  Mr.  Disraeli's  speeches,  which 
amid  the  flood  of  oratory  which  constituted 
the  debates  in  Parliament,  he  ever  found 
time  to  read. 

U2 


292 


MR.  THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP.         «He    also    greatly    admired    the    speeches 

' '      '   of  the  late  Lord  Derby — at  that  time  Lord 

Stanley,    and   a   member   of  the    House   of 
Commons. 


Mr. 

Brassey's 

politics. 


*  My  father  had  the  highest  opinion  of  the 
value  to  the  French  people  of  the  state  of 
order,  and  the  material  prosperity  secured  to 
them  by  the  Imperial  regime. 

*  Without  making  any  pretensions  to  being 
a  politician,  my  fathers  proclivities  were 
Conservative :  nevertheless,  thinking  that  he 
had  no  claim  to  advise  others  upon  matters 
with  which  he  did  not  conceive  himself 
to  be  specially  conversant,  he  never  on  any 
occasion  offered  me  advice  on  political  mat- 
ters, or  remonstrated  with  me  on  a  single 
vote  which  I  gave  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
On  the  contrary,  if  he  ever  said  anything  on 
the  subject,  it  was  rather  to  suggest  that  it 
was  my  duty  to  attend  regularly,  and  assist 
by  my  vote  the  Government  which  I  had 
been  elected  to  support. 

*  When  I  first  entered  upon  the  curri- 
culum  of   a   classical    education,  my    father 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  293 

felt  almost  as  unable   to    estimate  the   pro-     chap. 

XXI. 

gress  I  was  making,  or  to  give  me  advice  in  " — ■ 

the  prosecution  of  my  early  studies,  as  the 
domestic  hen,  who  views,  with  mingled 
anxiety  and  surprise,  the  brood  of  pheasants 
or  ducklings,  which  she  has  tenderly  reared, 
betake  themselves  to  the  wild  life  of  the 
woodlands,  or  to  their  first  navigation  in  the 
adjacent  pond.  But  he  was  careful  to  com- 
mend to  my  attention  whatever  acquirements 
he  himself  could  fully  appreciate. 

*  Reading   was  an  art  which    he  specially  Appreda. 

tion  of 

advised  me  to  study ;  and,  on  my  return  from  good 

reading. 

school  at  the  close  of  each  half  year,  he  never 
failed  to  test  the  progress  which  I  had  made, 
by  asking  me  to  read  to  him  a  chapter  in  the 
Bible. 

*  To  hear  a  good  reader  was  a  real 
pleasure  to  him.  I  remember  having  been 
with  him  at  an  entertainment  in  Exeter 
Hall,  when  the  celebrated  Vandenhoff  read 
some  passages  of  Scripture,  which  were 
introduced  between  the  recitatives  and  songs 
of  an  oratorio.  The  old  man's  style  of 
reading  was  admirable,  and  my  father  long 


294  ^R'   THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP,    afterwards  was  accustomed  to  dilate  on  the 

XXI. 

— ' — '  excellence  of  his  elocution. 

Mr.  'In  the  conduct  of  the  immense  and  widely 

Brassey's 

corre-         scattered    affairs    on    which    my   father   was 

spondence. 

engaged,  he  necessarily  directed  a  large  part 
of  his  operations  with  the  pen.  But  his 
correspondence  sometimes  exceeded  what 
was  strictly  necessary.  Every  man  has 
A  hobby,  a  hobby.  Correspondence  was  his  hobby. 
Mainly  from  the  pressure  of  business,  partly 
also  from  his  love  of  the  work,  every  spare 
moment  was  given  to  his  correspondence. 
Until  his  power  of  writing  had  been  impaired 
by  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  he  never  made  use 
of  a  short-hand  writer,  and  he  wrote  all  his 
letters  with  his  own  hand. 

*  Years  ago,  when  annually  visiting  Scot- 
land for  the  purpose  of  shooting  over  the 
moors  in  Dumfries-shire,  of  which  he  had 
a  lease  jointly  with  Mr.  Locke,  .it  was 
amusing  to  see  how  a  bag,  containing  writing 
materials  and  a  budget  of  letters  to  be 
answered,  always  accompanied  the  luncheon- 
basket.  After  a  short  walk  on  the  moor, 
he  would  screen  himself  behind  a  stone  wall, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER,  295 

or  retire  to  some  shepherd's  hut,  and  there     chap. 

J\.2\.\., 

proceed   to  write  his  letters  with  the  same  '      '     ' 
method  and  dihgence  which  he  would  have 
employed  in  an  office  in  London. 

'  He  never  allowed  a  letter  to  remain  un- 
answered ;  and,  though  his  correspondents 
were  frequently  persons  In  the  humblest 
walk  of  life,  and  a  large  number  of  the  letters 
addressed  to  him  consisted  of  solicitations 
for  loans,  or  for  the  exercise  of  friendly  Influ- 
ence, he  always  gave  a  kind  reply  to  all  those 
who  addressed  him.^ 


^  In  regard  to  Mr.  Brassey's  letter-writing,  Dr.  Burnett 
remarks  : — '  I  recollect  the  first  time  we  went  to  Switzer- 
land, we  had  to  wait  a  day  at  Lucerne  for  the  arrival  of 
Netlam  Giles,  with  whom  an  appointment  had  been  made 
to  accompany  him  over  the  Grimsel,  the  question  of  a 
tunnel  being  at  that  time,  (a.  d.  185 i.)  mooted.  We 
sailed  up  the  lake  to  Floelen  ;  and,  having  walked  a  good 
deal  during  the  day,  I  retired  to  bed  before  nine  o'clock, 
leaving  Mr.  Brassey  in  the  coffee-room.  The  next  morn- 
ing, on  coming  down  to  breakfast,  I  found  him  with  a 
packet  of  letters  he  had  written  the  previous  night, 
having  sat  up  till  past  two.  I  counted  thirty-one  letters. 
I  was  curious  to  see  to  whom  this  amazing  number  were 
addressed,  and  I  noticed  most  of  them  were  to  sub-con- 
tractors, and  related  to  their  work  ;  several  were  in  reply 
to  applications  for  employment,  and   so  on.      I  never 


296  MR.  THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP.         '  My    father,     ever    mindful    of    his     own 

A.A.1. 


men. 


'"^~'  '  Struggles  and  efforts  in  early  life,  evinced 
of  voun?  ^^  "^  times  the  most  anxious  disposition  to 
assist  young  men  to  enter  upon  a  career  in 
life.  The  small  loans  which  he  advanced  for 
this  purpose,  and  the  innumerable  letters 
which  he  wrote  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  for 
his  young  clients  help  or  employment  in 
other  quarters,  constitute  a  bright  and  most 
honourable  feature  in  his  life. 


Advice  to         '  His  success  in  life  induced  many  parents, 

Parents.  ^   ^  ' 

who  could  not  see  how  to  start  their  sons 
in  the  world,  to  ask  his  advice ;  and,  as 
usual,  a  disposition  was  shown  to  prefer  a 
career  which  did  not  involve  the  apparent 
degradation  of  learning  a  trade  practically, 
side  by  side,  with  operatives  in  a  workshop. 
But  my  father,  who  had  known  by  his  wide 
experience  the  immense  value  of  a  technical 
knowledge  of  a  trade  or  business,  as  com- 
pared with  general  educational  advantages  of 

remember  his  leaving  a  letter  unanswered.  He  would 
carry  his  letters  about  with  him  in  a  sheet  of  paper,  no 
portfolio,  no  memorandums;  his  memory  was  astonishing. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  ^97 


the  second  order,  and  who  knew  how  much     Sf/j^* 


more  easy  it  Is  to  earn  a  Hving  as  a  skilful  '      ' 
artisan  than  as  a  clerk   possessing   a   mere 
general  education,   always  urged  those  who 
sought  his  advice  to  begin  by  giving  to  their 
sons  a  practical  knowledge  of  a  trade. 

*  He    was    of    a    singularly    patient    dis-  Patience, 
position   in   dealing  with  all  ordinary  affairs 

of  life.  We  know  how,  whenever  a  hitch  or 
delay  occurs  in  a  railway  journey,  a  great 
number  of  passengers  become  irritated  almost 
to  a  kind  of  foolish  frenzy.  He  always 
took  these  matters  most  patiently.  He 
well  knew  that  no  persons  are  so  anxious 
to  avoid  such  detentions  as  the  officials  them- 
selves, and  never  allowed  himself  to  altercate 
with  a  helpless  guard  or  distracted  station- 
master. 

*  Without   pretending  to  literary  skill,    he  Ckamess 
possessed   a   remarkable    power    of    stating  ^entsand 

tacts. 

clearly  the  terms  agreed  upon  after  an 
elaborate  or  difficult  negotiation,  or  of  giving 
advice   and   instruction   to   his    subordinates 


298 


MR.  THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP,     upon    the    technical  details    of  his  business. 

XXI. 

■"  '  '  He  would  sometimes  give  directions  upon 
the  most  minute  arrangements,  even  as  to  the 
supply  of  a  bellows  for  a  blacksmith's  forge. 
It  would  be  an  injustice  were  I  not  to  add,- 
that  the  same  benignity  and  courtesy  which 
marked  his  conduct  in  every  relation  of  life, 
pervaded  his  whole  correspondence. 


Generous 

senti- 
ments. 


*  In  the  many  volumes  of  his  letters  which 
are  preserved,  I  venture,  with  confidence,  to 
affirm  that  there  is  not  the  faintest  indication 
of  an  ungenerous  or  unkindly  sentiment ;  not 
a  sentence  which  is  not  inspired  by  the  spirit 
of  equity  and  justice,  and  by  universal  charity 
to  mankind. 


Dislike  of 
reproof. 


'You  have  often  asked  me  to  point  out 
faults  in  my  father's  character.  If  there  be  a 
blemish  in  one  who  was  as  free  from  fault 
as  seems  possible  to  frail  human  nature,  I 
would  say  that  hesitation  to  condemn  openly 
those  errors  of  others,  of  which  he  was 
perfectly  sensible,  and  which  inwardly  he 
judged    with   the   severity    which   they    de- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FATHER.  299 

served,  was  one  of  the  few  defects  of  his 
character.  An  IncapabiHty  of  refusing  a  re- 
quest, or  rejecting  a  proposal,  strongly  urged 
by  others,  was  a  defect  in  his  character, 
as  a  man  of  business,  and  the  principal 
cause  of  the  greatest  disasters  which  he 
experienced.  He  seldom  formed  a  wrong 
judgment  upon  the  merits  of  any  business 
proposed  for  his  acceptance ;  but  he  was 
often  induced  by  others  to  enter  into  en- 
gagements which  he  believed  ab  i7titio  to 
involve  excessive  risk,  or  be  fraught  with 
disaster. 

*  Akin  to  this  defect  of  character,  there 
was  another  peculiarity.  He  would  often  ap- 
prove and  expressly  commend  that  In  others, 
which.  If  done  by  the  members  of  his  own 
family,  he  would  disapprove  and  oppose. 
This  remark  would  apply  more  especially  to 
cases  in  which  he  feared  that  our  actions 
or  practices  might  be  misinterpreted  as  an 
exhibition  of  pride.  But  this  peculiarity 
should  perhaps  be  regarded  as  a  virtue  rather 
than  a  fault.  It  originated  In  his  anxious 
desire  to  avoid  doing  anything  which  could 


300  MR.   THOMAS  BRASSEY'S 


CHAP,    give    offence   to   others.      In   every   relation 

A.X.1. 

— "         of  life  his  conduct  was    marked  by   the  ut- 
most refinement  of  feeHng,  and  by  the  true 
Gentle-       spiHt  of  a  gentleman.      He  never  failed  In 

manlike 

tone.  consideration   for   the    feelings  and    suscep- 

tibilities of  others ;  showing  deference,  with- 
out being  servile,  to  those,  to  whom 
deference  was  due  ;  recognising  the  superior 
social  position  which  they  enjoy  who 
possess  the  advantages  of  long  lineage, 
and  ancient  and  large  landed  estate ;  yet 
knowing  that  In  his  own  busy  and  remarkable 
career  there  was  something  honourable  to 
himself,  and  which  It  was  a  distinction  to 
have  achieved.  He  was  graceful  In  every 
movement,  always  Intelligent  In  observation, 
with  an  excellent  command  of  language,  and 
only  here  and  there  betrayed,  by  some  slight 
provincialisms,  in  how  small  a  degree  he  had, 
in  early  life,  enjoyed  the  educational  advan- 
tages of  those  with  whom  his  high  com- 
mercial position  in  later  years  placed  him  in 
constant  communication ;  but  these  things 
are  small  in  comparison  with  the  greater 
points  of  character,  by  which  he  seemed  to 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FA  THER.  30 1 


me  to  be  distinguished.     In  all  He  said  or  did,     chap. 


he  ever  showed  himself  to  be  inspired  by  that 
chivalry  of  heart  and  mind,  which  most  truly 
ennobles  him  who  possesses  it,  and  without 
which  one  cannot  be  a  perfect  gentleman/ 


XXI. 


[       302       ] 


CHAP. 

XXII. 

Contrast 

between 

history 

and 

biography. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEYS  LIFE, 

THERE  Is  a  painful  circumstance  atten- 
dant on  biography,  which  does  not 
necessarily  belong  to  any  other  form  of 
narrative,  not  even  to  history.  In  history  It 
often  happens  that  the  most  Important  and 
Interesting  personages,  though  they  quit  the 
scene  of  history,  still  live  on ;  perhaps  In 
honoured  retirement,  at  any  rate  in  some 
retreat  from  their  labours.  And  you  have  not 
to  read  of  or  to  record  their  failing  health,  or 
their  death. 

But  In  biography  you  have  almost  always 
to  narrate  the  gradual  decay  of  power,  and, 
ultimately,  the  death  of  one,  to  whom,  even 


CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  303 


if  you  knew  him   not  In   life,  you,  the  bio-     chap. 

XXII. 

grapher,    have   become    insensibly   attached.  " — > — 


For,  I  suppose,  there  is  no  instance  of  a 
biographer  entirely  resisting  the  natural  im- 
pulse to  become  attached  to  the  person, 
whatever  may  have  been  his  faults,  who  is 
the  subject  of  the  biography. 

How  much  more  strongly  must  this  feeling 
exist  when  the  biographer,  in  a  long  course 
of  investigation,  with  the  secrets  of  a  life 
laid  open  to  him,  finds  no  serious  blot ;  and, 
as  he  proceeds  in  his  work,  becomes  only 
more  and  more  cognizant  of  the  merits  of  his 
hero,  and  more  and  more  conscious  of  his 
own  inability  to  depict  a  beautiful  character 
which  has  thus  been  intimately  made  known 
to  him, — more  intimately  perhaps  than  the 
character  of  any  of  those  with  whom  he  lives 
in  close  and  daily  converse. 

Such  has  been  the  effect  upon  me  in  writing 
this  life  of  Mr.  Brassey.  All  that  I  said  at 
the  commencement  of  the  work  in  reference 
to  Mr.  Brassey's  character  has  been  amply 
confirmed  by  the  evidence  which  has  been 
submitted  to  me ;  and  I  have  discovered  new 


304^ 


CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 


CHAP,     traits  of  character,  all  of  which  have  been  of 

XXII. 

' ' — '  the  most  pleasing  kind. 

I  spoke,  at  the  commencement  of  Mr. 
Brassey's  presence  of  mind,  a  quality  which 
has  been  repeatedly  manifested  in  the  course 
of  the  narrative ;  and  it  is  one  which  more 
almost  than  any  other  commands  the  con- 
fidence and  the  respect  of  agents  and  sub- 
ordinates. 

I  mentioned  his  unwillingness  to  blame 
anyone,  even  when  it  was  needful  to  do  so. 
This  also  has  been  shown  throughout  the  life. 
Fitness  of  The  reader  must  have  perceived  how  singu- 
Brassey  for  lady  well  fitted  Mr.  Brassey  was  for  the  work 
which  devolved  upon  him.  He  had  almost 
every  qualification  which  one's  imagination 
conceives  to  be  requisite  for  such  work.  Early 
in  life  he  had  mastered  the  details  of  nearly 
every  kind  of  labour  which  it  was  necessary 
to  understand  for  the  accomplishment  of  great 
works  of  construction.  But,  as  we  have  seen, 
he  did  not  stop  there.  His  self-education  was 
of  a  higher  kind  than  that  which  contents 
itself  with  the  mastery  of  work  in  detail, 
however  needful  it  may  be  to  acquire  such  a 


CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  305 

mastery.      He   attained   that   most  valuable    chap. 

^  XXII. 

art  which  belongs  to  the  master  rather  than    ^^    ^      ' 
to  the  man — namely,  of  dealing  with  details  in  with   " 

f.  .  .  .  .  -  -  details  in 

masses  ;  01  leavmg  mmutiae  to  those  whose  masses. 
business  it  is  to  attend  to  such  things  ;  and 
of.  directing  and  supervising  work,  instead  of 
doing  it  all  himself.  This  great  change  of 
occupation  is  not  often  easily  accomplished 
by  men  after  their  youth  has  passed,  it  being 
then  a  somewhat  difficult  matter  to  trans- 
form a  subordinate  into  a  principal. 

He  was  eminently  endowed  with  that  rare 
gift,  which  all  men  have  in  them  as  a  poten- 
tiality, and  which  all  can  recognize,  but  which 
so  few  can  produce    when  wanted — namely,  Comtnon 

sense. 

common  sense.  I  have  submitted  to  him 
matters  not  connected  with  his  own  depart- 
ment of  affairs — putting  before  him  what 
lawyers  call  '  an  A  and  B  case  ' — and  have 
found  his  judgment  admirable  in  such 
matters. 

The  trustfulness  which  was  mentioned  in  Trustful- 

the   first    chapter   as    one    of  Mr.    Brassey's 

merits,  has  been  amply  exhibited  throughout 

this  volume.      Indeed,   I  have  so  often  dwelt 

X 


306  CLOSE  OF  MR,  BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,  upon  his  trustfulness,  that  I  think  I  ouc^ht  to 
XXII.         ^  ^    ^  ^ 

— ' — "  explain  why,  in  my  judgment,  it  is  a  charac- 
teristic of  such  importance. 

Relative  I  have  ofteu  thought  that  the  question  of 

positions  .       .       ,       . 

of  agents     the  relation  of  agents  to  principals  is  one  of 

to  their 

masters.  those  whlch  has  not  been  adequately  con- 
sidered by  mankind.  No  two  men  In  the 
world  have  exactly  the  same  way  of  doing 
anything.  This  is  strikingly  to  be  seen  in 
composition  of  all  kinds.  There  are  a  num- 
ber of  facts  to  be  set  forth,  and  the  con- 
clusions therefrom  to  be  stated.  If  two 
persons  were  appointed  to  do  this  work 
independently,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
facts  and  conclusions  were  fairly  stated  by 
both  of  them,  It  Is  still  probable  that  there 
would  not  be  a  single  sentence  exactly 
similar,  in  the  two  written  statements.  Now 
this  Illustration  is  seldom  to  be  met  with 
in  life,  for  the  general  rule  is,  that  the 
subordinate  drafts  and  the  principal  corrects. 
But  it  may  be  noticed,  in  the  case  of  a  wise 
principal,  that  he  makes  a  just  allowance  for 
the  inevitable  difference  between  his  way — 
his   Ideal  way — of  doing  anything,   and   his 


CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  2P1 

subordinate's,  and  does   not  expect  that  the     chap. 

^  XXII. 

modes  of  expression  of  any  two  men  will  be  •      ■     " 
exactly  coincident,  or  even  nearly  similar. 

Apply  this  to  all  kinds  of  work  ;  and  it 
will  be  found  that  the  judicious  master  not 
only  places  the  *  wise  confidence,'  I  have 
spoken  of  above,  in  his  agents ;  but  is  able 
to  abstain  from  unwise  interference  and  need- 
less criticism,  and  to  be  content  with  allow- 
ing his  work  to  be  done  by  other  people 
somewhat  in  their  own  way,  so  that  it  be. 
well  done. 

Where  most  men  fail  in  governing,  is,  in  Confidence 

in  subor- 

not  entrusting  enough  to  those  who  have  dinates. 
to  act  under  them.  Most  human  beings 
intend  well,  and  try  to  do  their  best  as 
agents  and  subordinates  ;  and  he  is  the  great 
man,  who  succeeds,  with  the  least  possible 
change  of  agents  and  subordinates,  in  making 
the  most  of  the  ability  which  he  has  to 
direct  and  supervise.  Besides,  men  must  act 
according  to  their  characters;  and  he  who 
is  prone  to  confide  largely  in  others,  will 
mostly  gain  an  advantage  in  the  general 
result  of  this  confidence,  which  will  far  more 

X  2 


308  CLOSE   OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    than    counteract   any  evil    arisinof  from   that 
xxii.  .       .       T 

^" — ■ — '  part  of  the  confidence  which  is  misplaced. 

From  all  I  have  seen  of  Mr.  Brassey's  con- 
duct, as  a  principal,  I  am  convinced  that  he 
was  one  of  the  most  judicious  masters  as 
well  as  one  of  the  kindest ;  and  that,  looking 
ever  to  results,  he  thoroughly  understood  the 
art  of  leaving  his  agents  to  do  their  work  In 
their  own  way,  when  minute  Interference  was 
needless — all  interference  as  he  well  knew, 
having  a  tendency  to  check  an  agent's  energy 
and  his  power  of  reasonable  assumption  of 
responsible  authority. 

I  have  also  been  confirmed  In  the  view 
which  I  originally  took  of  what  I  conceived 
to  be  '  the  ruling  passion '  of  his  life.  This 
was  to  execute  great  works  which  he  believed 
to  be  of  the  highest  utility  to  mankind ;  to 
become  a  celebrated  man  In  so  doing; — 
celebrated  for  faithfulness,  punctuality, 
and  completeness  in  the  execution  of  his 
work ;  also,  for  this  was  a  great  point  with 
him,  to  continue  to  give  employment  to  all 
those  persons  who  had  early  embarked  with 
.    him  in    his    great    enterprises,    not    by    any 


CLOSE   OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  309 

means  forgetting  the  humbler  class  of  labourers     chap. 
whom  he  had  engaged  In  his  service.  '      '     ' 

It  was  a  remark  made  by  her,  who  must  Hisun- 

worldli- 

have  known  Mr.   Brassey  best,  that  he  was  ness. 
*  a   most   unworldly   man/      All  that   I    ob- 
served of  him,  and  have  heard  of  him,  con- 
firms this  view  of  an  important  part  of  his 
character. 

The  foregoing  remarks  apply  closely  to 
what  was  said  at  the  beginning  of  the  work. 
The  new  traits  which  I  have  discovered  may 
chiefly  be  enumerated  under  the  heads  of 
generosity  and  tenderness.  I  certainly  did  Gener- 
not  suspect  at  the  outset  that  Mr.  Brassey 
was  as  generous  a  man  as  I  have  found  him 
to  be.  A  very  busy  man  has  not  always 
time  to  practise  generosity,  and  still  less  to 
evince  tenderness.  But  throughout  the  in- 
vestigations I  have  been  obliged  to  make 
In  the  course  of  this  work,  I  have  discovered 
almost  innumerable  instances  of  his  generosity. 
He  was  never  wanting  when  there  was  an 
opportunity  to  be  generous.  The  same 
delicacy  which  In  his  lifetime  made  him  so 
thoroughly  reserved  as  regards  these  matters, 


3IO  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASS EY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    and  prevented  his  ever  alluding  to  any  act  of 

' ' — '  liberality  on  his  part,  also  compels  his  son  and 

myself  to  maintain  a  similar  reticence.  But 
the  reader  may  be  assured  that  where  I  have, 
here  and  there,  given  an  instance  of  generosity, 
I  might  have  adduced  twenty  similar  instances. 
Mr.  With  regard  to  his  tenderness,  this  is  also 

teiSemess.  3-  difficult  subject  to  dilate  upon,  but  it 
furnished  one  of  the  deepest  traits  of  his 
character,  and,  in  fact,  was  one  of  the  founda- 
tions of  that  character,  if  I  may  so  express 
It.  He  was  very  tender-hearted  in  all  the 
relations  of  life — to  his  family,  his  friends, 
his  subordinates,  to  all  who  ever  came  in 
contact  with  him.  When  he  committed  what 
appeared  to  be  an  error  in  judgment,  it  was 
an  error  of  heart,  hardly  ever  of  intellect. 
He  could  not  bear  to  wound  anybody's  feel- 
ings. It  pained  him  to  refuse ;  and,  alto- 
gether, his  tender-heartedness  must  ever  have 
been  to  him,  as  it  always  is  for  such  men  in 
this  world,  a  source  of  much  trouble,  distress, 
and  suffering. 
His  mental  Mr.  Brassey  was  a  man  of  much  refine- 
ment,        ment   of    mind.     This   kind   of    refinement,. 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  3II 

Strange  to  say,  does  not  come  by  education,  chap. 
which  can  only  produce  a  superficial  and  '"'^  ' 
constrained  semblance  of  it.  Real  refine- 
ment is  innate  ;  and,  as  I  believe,  for  the 
most  part,  hereditary.  Mr.  Brassey  pos- 
sessed it  in  a  high  degree.  No  coarseness 
of  thought,  no  coarseness  of  diction,  however 
veiled,  received  anything  but  the  most 
marked  discouragement  from  him.  My 
readers  will  appreciate  the  value  of  this 
quality  in  a  man  who  had  to  be  a  ruler  over 
numbers  of  his  fellow-countrymen,  and  whose 
example  in  this  respect,  if  a  bad  one,  would 
have  been  largely  imitated.  This  quality 
made  itself  felt  throughout  the  various  trans- 
actions in  which  he  was  engaged.  It  was  not 
only  that  coarse  and  violent  language  was 
checked  in  his  presence ;  but  the  pain  he 
evinced  at  all  unkind  wrangling,  and  at  the 
manifestation  of  petty  jealousies,  operated 
strongly  in  preventing  their  being  displayed 
before  him.  As  one,  who  was  most  intimate 
with  him  graphically  observed,  '  his  people 
seemed  to  enter  into  a  higher  atmosphere 
when  they   were  in  his  presence,'   conscious 


312  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    no  doubt  of  the  intense  dislike  which  he  had 

XXII. 

"■     '      '  of  everything  that  was  mean,  petty,  or  con- 
tentious. 

This  kind  of  refinement  is  not  exactly  a 
quality  which  was  imperatively  needed  in 
Mr.  Brassey's  vocation,  or  which  we  should 
have  expected  to  find  in  a  person  so  employed. 
It  was,  however,  eminently  serviceable  to 
him ;  and  I  think  it  may  be  noticed  that 
those  persons  succeed  most  thoroughly  in  any 
calling,  who  have  some  qualifications  which 
do  not  appear  needed  for,  or  even  remarkably 
suited  to  those  callings.  For  instance,  it  may 
be  observed,  as  I  have  ventured  to  remark 
before,  that  lawyers,  clergymen,  physicians, 
statesmen,  diplomatists  have  often  succeeded 
greatly  in  their  respective  vocations  by  reason 
of  their  possessing  qualities  which  are  some- 
what adverse  to  those  qualifications  which 
are  supposed  to  be,  and  which  perhaps  are,  of 
the  first  necessity  for  success  in  a  clerical, 
legal,  medical,  political,  or  diplomatic  career. 
And  I  doubt  not  that  the  refinement,  the 
tact  and  the  courtesy  which,  from  his  earliest 
years,    Mr.     Brassey    manifested,    far    from 


CLOSE    OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE,  313 

hindering,    greatly  assisted   him    in   his    im-    chap. 
portant  enterprises.     Tact  was  a  very  notice-  ' — ^ — ' 
able    quality    in    him.      His    Secretary   says, 
'  he  always  seemed  to  say  the  right  thing  to 
people  at  the  proper  time.' 

Mr.  Brassey  was  singularly  free  from  vanity 
and  boastfulness ;  and  was  never  heard  to 
refer  to  the  difficulties  he  had  overcome,  the 
position  he  had  attained,  or  the  great  works 
he  had  accomplished. 

I  would  not  have  the  reader  think  lightly 
of  the  high  courtesy  and  exquisitely  good 
manners  of  Mr.  Brassey.  Some  say  that  the 
world  is  hardening  and  coarsening.  I  do  not 
agree  with  the  accusation  contained  in  the 
former  word  ;  but  am  constrained  to  say  there 
is  some  truth  in  the  latter.  Indeed,  one 
might  contend  that  the  world  is  improved  in 
almost  everything  but  good  manners.  The 
polite  races  of  mankind  have  met  with  a  hard 
fate  :  some  of  them  have  almost  vanished  from 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  others  have  either 
been  subjugated,  or  have  not  been  able  to 
hold  their  own  in  the  world.  Moreover, 
speaking   of  individuals,    politeness    of    late 


314  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 


CHAP,     vears    has    been    little    encourac^ed    amongst 
XXII.      ^  ... 

- — ' — '   them.     Men    have    risen    to    high    stations 


Good  who  are  singularly  destitute  of  the  good 
manners  which,  in  former  ages,  would  have 
been  considered  necessary  for  the  posts  they 
occupy.'  Then,  again,  the  hurry,  the  fussi- 
ness,  and  the  want  of  time  in  our  generation, 
have  militated  against  the  cultivation  of  good 
manners.  Lastly,  and  this  is  not  a  slight 
point,  a  fancy  has  prevailed  that  courtesy  and 
refined  manners  are  often  characteristics  of 
a  disingenuous  mind.  From  all  these  causes, 
there  has  certainly  been  a  decline  of  good 
manners  In  the  present  century.  It  is,  there- 
fore, singularly  pleasing  to  find  that  a  man 
who  had  a  great  deal  of  rough  work  to 
do  in  the  world,  and  whom  no  one  can 
accuse  of  want  of  good  faith  in  anything  he 
said  or  did,  manifested,  throughout  his  life, 
the  highest  courtesy  to  persons  of  all  classes 
with  whom  he  came  In  contact. 

Mr.Brassey  He  was  a  bravc  man — brave  In  a  busi- 
ness like  way.  He  seemed  to  think  that 
It  was  his  duty,  In  supervising  work,  to  do 
whatever  a  practised  workman  was  accustomed 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  315 

to  do.     Even  after  he  had  had  a  stroke  of    chap. 

XXII. 

paralysis,  which  affected  one  of  his  legs,  '  ' 
causing  him  to  drag  it  wearily  after  the  other 
in  walking,  he  would,  to  the  dismay  of  those 
who  accompanied  him,  walk  across  a  narrow 
line  of  planks,  over  great  heights,  when  a  false 
step,  or  a  momentary  giddiness,  would  pro- 
bably have  been  fatal  to  him. 

There    was    one     characteristic     of    Mr.  Apprecia- 
tion 

Brassey,  which,  in   its  hig^hest  development,  ^^^^^    ^ 

•"  ^  r  '    merits  of 

is  very  rare  ;  and  that  is,  that  he  was  a  most  ^^^^^s- 
appreciative  person  of  other  people's  merits 
and  labours.  This,  too,  not  merely  in  en- 
deavours that  were  cognate  to  his  own ;  but 
he  admired  and  loved  good  work  done  in  any 
capacity,  or  directed  -  to  any  worthy  end. 
Good  speaking,  good  acting,  good  reading, 
good  painting,  even  good  dressing  and  judi- 
cious entertainment,  were  all  delights  to  him. 
If  a  thing  was  to  be  done  at  all,  he  wished  it 
to  be  well  done ;  and,  when  it  was  well  done, 
he  rejoiced  in  the  well-doing,  and  admired 
the  doers. 

One  of  the  principal   charms  in  the  cha- 
racter of  women  is   that  they  are  eminently 


3l6  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    appreciative.     Let  us  hope  that  when  they 

' — "   take  a  larger   share — the   share  that  justice 

and  reason  admit — in    the  active  labours  of 

the  world,  they  will  not  lose  any   portion  of 

Coleridge    this  charm.     The  poet  Coleridge  maintained 

beauties  of  that  the  greatest    men   are    those  in  whom 

feminine  -        .     . 

nature.  something  of  the  beauty  of  the  femmme 
nature  is  conjoined  with  the  sterner  qualities 
of  the  masculine  character.  If  this  be  the 
case,  Mr.  Brassey  might  certainly  claim  that 
element  of  greatness,  for  he  had  that  tender 
and  respectful  regard  for  the  distinguishing 
merits  of  his  fellow  men  which  especially 
belongs  to  the  highest  order  of  woman- 
kind, 

■  In  thus  delineating  Mr.  Brassey,  I  have 
drawn  a  character  of  a  somewhat  perfect 
kind,  I  have  been  compelled  to  do  so.  I 
know  well  that  more  faith  is  given  to  the 
biographer  when  he  is  able  to  point  out 
considerable  errors  and  defects  in  the  cha- 
racter of  the  person  whose  life  he  relates  ; 
and,  therefore,  as  a  biographer  I  might  have 
been  glad  to  have  had  some  of  these  defects 
to  set  forth,  as  they  would  have  insured  a 


CLOSE  OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE,  317 

hisfher  credence  for  the  merits  of  the  character,     ^iiap. 

^  XXII. 

But,  In  truth,  Mr.  Brassey  was  in  mind  '  '  ' 
one  of  those  happily  constituted  and  well 
proportioned  men,  who  show  forth  a 
certain  completeness  of  nature.  And  really 
the  only  quality  I  have  had  to  comment 
upon,  which  can  detract  from  that  complete- 
ness, was  the  amiable  weakness  which  ren- 
dered it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  give  a 
direct  negative  at  once,  or  to  say  to  anybody 
anything,  however  needful  to  be  said,  which 
should  partake  of  the  nature  of  blame.  This 
delicacy  of  mind  might  have  been  ruinous 
to  him,  if,  from  other  qualities,  he  had  not 
attained  to  such  eminence  in  his  calling  that 
he  had,  as  it  were,  the  command  of  the  chief 
contract  business  that  was  going  on  in 
the  world.  Here  and  there  misadventure 
might  occur  on  account  of  his  not  being 
staunch  enough  in  refusal,  or  too  reluctant 
to  condemn ;  but,  upon  the  whole,  these 
pardonable  errors  had  very  little  effect  upon 
the  main  result. 

Mr.  Brassey  was  very  persuasive  and  con- 
ciliatory :  and  when  these  qualities  are  joined 


31 8  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE, 

CHAP,  to  a  reasonable  amount  of  pliability,  they  are 
'  ■  '  very  effective.  The  greatest  difficulties  in 
the  conduct  of  business  are  not  those  which 
are  inherent  in  the  business  itself,  but  those 
which  arise  from  the  prejudices,  tempers,  and 
vanities — especially  the  tempers — of  the  men 
who  have  to  manage  it.  Complicated  as 
human  affairs  are  in  the  present  state  of  civi- 
lization, the  minds  of  men  are  more  compli- 
cated still,  and  in  their  management  lies  the 
main  element  of  successful  administration. 
Mr.  Mr.   Brassey  was   not  only  a  very  warm 

Brassey 

seeks  and  affectionate  friend,  but  he  was  extremely 

counsel 

from  solicitous  to  have  the  approval  of  his  inti- 

others.  ^^ 

mate  friends  in  all  the  works  he  undertook. 
This  remark  applies  especially  to  Mr.  Locke, 
the  well-known  .engineer,  who  has  been  men- 
tioned in  these  pages,  the  patron,  fellow- 
labourer,  and  most  intimate  friend  of  Mr. 
Brassey's  middle  life,  and  to  Mr.  Wagstaff, 
his  legal  adviser  and  executor,  and  the  con- 
genial companion  of  his  later  years.  To  the 
latter  gentleman  he  would  write  almost  every 
day,  and  sometimes  twice  a  day,  telling  him 
what  he  had  done,  seeking  his  approval  and 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  319 

asking   for   his    advice.     This    trait    is  very     ^^J"- 
noticeable  in  a  man  who  had  so  much  clear-  "      ' 
ness    of  resolve,   and    who    might,    perhaps, 
have  been  expected  to  be  very  indifferent  to 
the   judgment   of    other   persons   about   his 
doings. 

Of  the  service  that  Mr.  Wagstaff  was 
to  Mr.  Brassey,  it  is  difficult  to  speak  In  suf- 
ficiently high  terms.  He  was,  if  I  may  so 
express  it,  an  alter  ego  to  his  friend ;  and 
those  only  whose  lives  are  perpetually  exer- 
cised In  deciding  day  by  day  upon  questions 
requiring  great  discretion,  can  fully  estimate 
what  it  is  to  have  a  friend  to  whom  daily 
reference  may  be  made  in  all  the  difficulties 
that  arise.  It  may  also  be  observed,  that 
those  only  gain  such  friends  who  deserve  to 
have  them— those  who  can,  with  supreme 
frankness,  tell  the  daily  story  of  their  lives  to 
another,  and  who  are  of  that  modest  and  con- 
fiding nature  that  they  can  receive  and  act 
upon  advice  which  may  even  be  most  unwel- 
come to  them,  as  in  some  manner  condem- 
natory of  their  own  views  and  preposses- 
sions. 


320  CLOSE   OF  MR,   BRASSEY'S    LIFE. 

CHAP.         This  biography  is  now  drawing  to  a  close. 

'     '      '       In  May  1867,  Mr.  Brassey,  having  occasion 

Brasse        ^^  ^^  abroad  on  business,^  was  accompanied 

Paris  with   ^Y  ^  l^rge  party,  consisting  of  the  members  of 

his  family,  j^j^  ^^^  family.     They  first  went  to  Paris. 

Interviews  on  business  took  up  the  greater 

part  of  his  time  ;  but  all  the  intervals  were 

employed  in  visiting  the  Exhibition,  and  in 

other  sight-seeing,  for  he  was  as  indefatigable 

in  pleasure  as  in  business,  and  Avas    always 

most  anxious   that   those   who  accompanied 

him  should  see  everything  that  was  worthy 

to  be  seen. 

and  is  On  the  day  that  the  party  were  to  have 

taken  ill  ^  r        j 

left  Paris,  Mr.  Brassey  was  very  unwell,  but 
was  with  difficulty  persuaded  to  postpone  his 
departure  for  a  day.  After  travelling  all 
night,  and  arriving  at  Cologne  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  he  still  insisted,  though  far 
from  convalescent,  that  they  should  employ 


^  A  description  of  these  business  tours  by  Mr.  Tapp, 
Mr.  Brassey's  faithful  and  very  intelligent  Secretary,  is 
given  in  the  Appendix.  It  is  curious  as  showing  the 
rapidity  and  energy  with  which  their  tours  of  inspection 
were  conducted. 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  32  1 

the  time  between  four  and  nine  o'clock  in  the    chap. 

XXII. 

morning,  in  seeing  the  Cathedral,  and  driving — ' 

about  the  town. 

Wherever  he  went,  he  was  very  well  re- 
ceived ;  and  when  his  arrival  in  any  town  was 
made  known,  many  persons  came  to  see  him 
and  to  proffer  civilities.  In  the  remoter  dis- 
tricts people  would  come  many  miles*  distance 
just  to  shake  hands  with  him,  or  to  have  a 
few  minutes'  conversation.  When  he  came 
to  any  part  of  the  country  where  the  works 
of  his  own  railways  had  been  already  com- 
menced, his  own  people  made  every  effort  to 
show  signs  of  welcome  to  their  employer, 
sometimes  clubbing  together  and  producing 
a  festive  appearance  with  boughs  of  ever- 
greens and  festoons  of  coloured  handker- 
chiefs. These  primitive  edifices  bore  mottoes, 
such  as  //  Re  degli  Intraprenditori,  Viva 
V Imprenditore  Inglese, 

Mr.  Brassey  made  several  trial  trips  on  the  Fell  Rail, 
engines  of  the  Fell   Railway,  and  his  party  ^^^' 
went  into  the  tunnel  under  the  mountain  ;  and 
when  there,  Mrs.  Thomas  Brassey  could  not 
help   remarking    'the  large-hearted   way  in 


322  CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 


CHAP     which  he  entered  Into  its  merits,  the  anxiety 

XXII. 

" — — '   he  expressed  for  Its  success,  and  the  Interest 


he  took  In  its  completion  as  a  great  enterprise 
and  an  extension  of  civiHzatlon.'  It  is  to 
be  remembered  that  his  wishes  In  this  matter 
were  directly  opposed  to  his  pecuniary  in- 
terests, for  the  sooner  the  tunnel  should  be 
completed,  the  greater  would  be  his  loss  on 
the  line  over  the  mountain. 
Mr.  Mr.  Brassey  returned  to  England  on  June 

Brassey  re- 
turns to       7  ;  and,  on   October  7  m  the  same  year,  he 

England. 

Started  abroad  again,  though  in  a  very  feeble 
state  of  health,  to  attend  the  proposed  open- 
ing of  the  Mont  Cenis  Railway,  and  also  to 
transact  some  important  business  connected 
with  the  Lemberg  and  Czernowitz  Railway. 
Revisits       On  October  10,  he  left  Paris  for  St-MIchel, 

the  Fell  ,11 

Railway,  the  weather  being  cold  and  tempestuous  m 
the  extreme— snow  falling  and  a  bitter  north- 
east wind  blowing.  It  was  not,  how^ever, 
against  bad  weather  only  that  Mr.  Brassey,  In 
an  enfeebled  state  of  health,  had  to  contend. 
He  had  to  experience  ill-success,  for  the 
opening  of  the  Fell  Railway  proved  a  most 
disastrous  failure. 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  323 

In  the  concession  of  this  railway  from  the     chap. 

XXII. 

French   Government  a   condition  had   been  "- — ' — ' 
inserted,  that  the  engines  and  carriages  should 
be  made  in  France.     The  engines  proved  to 
be  of  the  most  faulty  description.     When  the 
first  broke  down,  Mr.   Brassey's  disappoint- 
ment and  vexation  were  very  great.    He  stood 
about  in  the  cold  and  wet,  while  another  was 
telegraphed  for.     When  it  had  arrived,  and 
had  also  failed,  he  was  persuaded,  though  very 
reluctantly,   to  return  to  the  hotel  at  Lansle- 
bourg,  weary  in  body,  and  depressed  in  mind, 
from  perceiving  the  impossibility,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  of  keeping  strictly  to  his  word, 
and   opening  a  railway  at  the  time  when  he 
had  said  it  should  be  opened.     In   the  night  Mr. 
he  was  taken  alarmingly  ill  with  bronchitis  ;  taken  m ; 
and  in  the  morning  was  with  great  difficulty 
carried  on  to   Turin,  in  the  hope  of  getting 
medical  advice   there.      Mr.   Elliot  and  Mr.  his  family 
Tapp    telegraphed  to  Mr.    Brassey's  family,  graphed 
informing  them  of  his  illness.     They  prepared    °^* 
to  start  at  once ;  but  hearing  the  next  day 
that   he   had   gone  on    to    Milan,    and   was 
proceeding    to    Venice,    they   delayed    their 

Y  2 


324  CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,  departure.  They  afterwards  found  that  the 
""  '  '  fever  which  had  set  in  while  he  was  at  Turin 
had  affected  his  head,  and  in  that  state  he 
was  so  determined  to  go  on  that  the  doctors 
thought  it  better  to  let  him  proceed  than  to 
irritate  him  by  opposition. 
He  goes  to       When  he  arrived  at  Venice  the  fever  was 

Venice. 

at  its  height.  His  family  received  the  most 
alarming  telegrams  and  immediately  started, 
scarcely  having  a  hope  of  seeing  him  alive. 
They  never  stopped  en  I'oute,  finding  a  special 
train  at  Macon,  and  post-horses  ready  for 
them  at  every  stage  over  the  mountain 
(Mont  Cenis),  and  everybody  anxious  and 
striving  to  do  their  best  to  expedite  their 
journey  to  the  utmost,  that  there  might 
be  no  delay.  When  they  did  arrive,  how- 
ever, though  finding  him  still  in  a  critical 
state,  there  was  every  prospect  of  his  re- 
covery. After  that  he  rallied  in  a  mar- 
vellous way,  and  while  still  in  bed  contrived 
to  transact  his  Lemberg  and  Czernowitz 
business, 
hetith^  About  the  second  week   in   November  his 

family  were  able  to  bring  him  home  by  slow 


CLOSE  OF  MR.  BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  325 

Stages  to  St.  Leonards,  where  he  remained     x^i^f* 
quietly  for  ten  weeks  to  the  great  benefit  of         '      ' 
his    health,    transacting    his    business   there, 
without  going  to  London. 

This,  however,  was  the  beginning  of  the 
illness  which  eventually  proved  fatal  to  him. 

In  1868  he  had  a  second  stroke  of 
paralysis.  This,  however,  did  not  prevent 
him  from  continuing  his  labours  with  the 
same  assiduity  as  ever.  When  urged  to 
restrict  those  labours,  he  would  not  do  so, 
feeling  that  any  remissness  or  relaxation  on 
his  part  might  occasion  a  loss  of  employment 
to  those  who  had  for  so  many  years  so  faith-' 
fully  and  so  zealously  been  fellow-workers 
with  him. 

It  is  a  curious  circumstance  that  the  last  First 
contract  work  which  Mr.  Brassey  undertook,  works, 
and  which  he  himself  personally  supervised, 
brought  him  close  to  the  spot  where  he  had 
commenced  his  railway  undertakings. 

His  first  railway  contract  was  the  Penk- 
ridge  Viaduct.  Among  his  latest  was  the 
Wolverhampton  and  Walsall  Railway;  and 
probably  the  last  work  he  ever  did  was  to 


326  CLOSE   OF  MR,   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    survey  some  constructicn  a  few  miles  distant 
XXII.  ^ 

' — --^ — '  from  the  Penkridge  Viaduct. 

Some  time  before  his  death  Mr.  Brassey 
knew  that  his  disease  was  fatal ;  and  he  bore 
that  knowledge  with  resignation.  He  had 
ever  been  a  very  religious  man.  His  religion 
was  of  that  kind  which  most  of  us  would 
desire  for  ourselves, — utterly  undisturbed  by 
doubts  of  any  sort,  entirely  tolerant,  not 
built  upon  small  or  even  upon  great  differ- 
ences of  belief.  He  clung  resolutely  and 
with  entire  hopefulness  to  that  creed  and 
abode  by  that  form  of  worship  in  which  he 
had  been  brought  up  as  a  child. 

The  tender-heartedness  I  have  mentioned 
as  a  pervading  element  in  Mr.  Brassey's 
character,  had  never  been  more  manifested 
than  in  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  of  any  illness 
of  his  friends  and  associates.  At  the  busiest 
period  of  his  life  he  would  travel  hundreds  of 
miles  in  order  to  be  at  the  bedside  of  a 
sick  or  a  dying  friend,  and  to  give  what  aid  or 
consolation  he  could  give  to  him.  It  was  now 
his  turn  to  experience  similar  kindness  ;  and 
never  was  illness  watched  with  more  solici- 


CLOSE   OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE.  327 


tude  and  affection  than  was   Mr.   Brassey's     chap. 

^  XXII. 


last  illness.  ' 

A  touching  proof  of  the  regard  and  affec- 
tion, which  Mr.  Brassey  had  won  from  those 
who  had  served  under  him,  was  manifested 
during  this  illness.  Many  of  these  per- 
sons, both  those  who  had  served  him  in 
foreign  countries  and  at  home,  came  from 
great  distances,  solely  for  the  chance  of  see- 
ing, once  more,  their  old  master  whom  they 
loved  so  much.  They  were  men  of  all 
classes  ;  humble  navvies  as  well  as  trusted 
agents.  They  would  not  intrude  upon  his  ^f^taffT" 
illness,  but  would  solicit  to  be  allowed  to 
stay  in  the  hall,  and  would  wait  for  hours 
there,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  Mr.  Brassey 
borne  to  his  carriage,  and  getting  once  more 
from  him  a  shake  of  the  hand  or  the  slightest 
sign  of  friendly  recognition.  The  world  is 
after  all,  not  so  ungrateful  as  it  is  sometimes 
supposed  to  be  ;  those  who  deserve  to  be 
loved  generally  are  loved,  having  elicited 
the  faculty  of  loving  which  exists,  to  a  great 
extent,  in  all  of  us. 

The  air  of  Hastings  was  favourable  to  the 


328  CLOSE    OF  MR.   BRASSEY'S  LIFE. 

CHAP,    invalid ;  and  it  was  there  that  he  spent  the 

XXIL  ^ 

'      '         last  days  of  his  life.      His  disease,  however, 

was    not    to    be    overcome    by    change     of 

air.     He  grew  rapidly  worse  ;  and,  after  much 

Death        Suffering,  expired,  surrounded  by  his  family, 

of  Mr. 

Brassey.  on  December  8,  1870.  Mr.  Brassey  was 
burled  in  the  churchyard,  at  Catsfield,  Sussex. 
He  left  behind  him  as  members  of  his  family, 
ever  to  deplore  his  loss,  his  widow  and  three 
sons,  Thomas,  the  Member  for  Hastings, 
Henry  Arthur,  the  Member  for  Sandwich, 
and  Albert. 

On  Mr.  Brassey's  death  the  grief  of  his 
friends  was  great  and  unanimous.  They  felt 
that  in  losing  him,  they  had  lost  one  who 
gave  a  hearty  welcome  to  them,  whether  they 
came  to  impart  their  sorrows  or  their  joys, 
and  who  was  equally  ready  in  either  case  to 
give  them  aid,  counsel,  encouragement,  and 
sympathy. 


-^ 


[     329     ] 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 

THE  subject  of  Railways  is  not  by  any 
means  exhausted.  The  world  will 
yet  have  a  great  deal  to  think  and  say  about 
them ;  and  this,  to  my  mind,  gives  addi- 
tional interest  to  the  story  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
labours. 

It  were  much  to  be  wished  that  the 
intelligence  and  skill  shown  by  the  contrac- 
tors for  the  making  of  railways,  and  notably 
by  Mr.  Brassey  as  the  most  eminent  of  them, 
could  have  been  shown  in  the  management 
of  railways  after  they  had  been  made.  I 
fear,  indeed,  we  must  confess  that,  neither 
in  the  promotion  of  railway  schemes,  nor 
in  the  investigation  of  these  schemes  by 
Parliamentary  Committees,  nor   in   the  sub- 


Railway 

affairs  still 
an  open 
question. 


The 

original 
skill  in 
railway 
organi- 
zation not 
followed 
up. 


330  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.    • 

CHAP,  sequent  administration  of  railway  property, 
'  '  '  has  anything  Hke  the  skill  and  intelligence 
which  were  manifested  in  their  construction 
been  exhibited.  In  fact,  there  has  been  a 
deplorable  want  of  organization  in  all  rail- 
way affairs,  with  the  sole  exception  of  the 
skill  exhibited  in  their  construction. 
Want  of  In  Great  Britain  the  promotion  of  schemes 

proper 

consider-     lias,  in  many  instances,  beefi  entirely  devoid 

ation  in 

railway       of  any  of  that  consideration  for  the  public 

schemes. 

welfare  which  such  a  matter  imperiously 
demands.  Then,  as  to  the  expenses  atten- 
dant upon  getting  a  Railway  Bill  through 
Parliament,  these  have  borne  hardly  any 
proportion  to  the  inherent  merits  or  demerits 
of  the  schemes  themselves.  The  legal 
Legal         expenses   incurred  during  the  height  of  the 

expenses.  .  .    .,.        . 

railway  mama  were  a  disgrace  to  civilization. 
It  was  never  more  clearly  shown  how  in- 
adequate Parliamentary  Government  is  to 
deal  with  questions  of  administration,  when 
these  come  before  it  suddenly  and  without 
sufficient  previous  consideration  by  those 
thinkers  and  writers  who  really  direct  the 
public   mind.      At  the  time    of  the  railway 


RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.  33 1 

mania  a  state  of  things  prevailed  which  very     chap. 

closely    resembled    that    produced    by    the   ' ' — ' 

celebrated  transactions  of  John  Law  ;  and  I  do  biance 
not  think  that  it  was  dealt  with  more  wisely  the  South- 
than  Law's  speculations  were  dealt  with  by  Bubble 

and  the 

the  uninstructed  ministers   of  the  Regent  of  Railway 

mania. 

France. 

If  we  turn  to  what  has  been  done  since  in 
the  administration  of  railways,  we  shall  often 
find  that  the  public  convenience  has  not  only  _  , ,. 

^  -'     Public 

been   neMected,  but  has  been    industriously  conveni- 

"  -'     ence  much 

and  carefully  thwarted.     The  times  for  the  "^s^^?/^^ 

J  on  rail- 

arrival   of  trains  have  been   so  arranged  as  ^^^^^* 
not  to  correspond  with  the  times  of  starting 
of  the  trains  on  other  railways,  which,  for  the 
public  convenience,  ought  to  have   been   in 
close  correspondence. 

The  remedy  for  this  evil  has  only  pro-  A  bad 
duced  a  new  disease.  This  remedy  has  been 
the  amalgamation  of  railways  ;  and  though 
certain  injurious  effects  of  competition  have 
thereby  been  removed,  that  end  has  been 
attained  by  the  adoption  of  a  system  which 
takes  little  heed  of  the  interests  of  the  public. 
In   short,    these    injurious    effects   of    com- 


332  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 


CHAP,    petition  have  been  occasionally  removed  by 

xxiir.     -^  . 

' — ' — '   the  creation  of  monopoly. 


Mr.  Bras-        I  may  here  mention,  as  a  most  important 

sey's  opi- 
nion on       fact,  that  Mr.  Brassey  thought  that  the  admis- 

Govern- 

ment  con-    sion  of  this  principle  was  an  error  in  judgment. 

railways.  He  was  of  Opinion  that  the  French  policy, 
which  did  not  admit  the  principle  of  free 
competition,  was  not  only  more  calculated  to 
secure  the  interests  of  the  shareholders,  but 
that  it  was  more  favourable  to  the  public. 
He,  moreover,  considered  that  a  multiplicity 
of  parallel  lines  of  communication  between 
the  same  termini,  and  the  uncontrolled  com- 
petition in  regard  to  the  service  of  trains, 
such  as  exists  in  England,  did  not  secure  so 
efficient  a  service  for  the  public  as  the  system 
adopted  in  France.  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey 
says  that  he  remembers,  when  travelling  in 
France  with  his  father,  that  Mr.  Brassey 
constantly  remarked  the  superior  comfort  of 
the  carriages,  the  excellence  of  the  stations, 
and,  generally,  the  superior  amenities  of 
railway  travelling  abroad  as  compared  with 
those  in  England.  He  would  then  express 
his  regret  that  the  policy,  which  had  proved 


RAILWAYS  AND  GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.  ZZo 

in   detail   so  successful   in   France,    had   not     chap. 

J\.2\.i.i.i., 

been  adopted  in  England.  He  thought  ^ — ^  ' 
that  all  the  advantage  of  cheap  service, 
and  of  sufficiently  frequent  communication, 
which  were  intended  to  be  secured  for  the 
British  public  under  a  system  of  free  com- 
petition, could  have  been  equally  well  se- 
cured by  adopting   the  foreign   system,  and  Mr.  Bras- 

sey  ap- 

giving  a  monopoly  of  the  network  of  rail-  proves  of 

the  French 

way  communication,  in  a  riven    district,    to  system  of 

...  '    .         control. 

one  company  ;  and  then  limiting  the  exercise 
of  that  monopoly  by  watchful  supervision  on 
the  part  of  the  State  in  the  interest  of 
the  public.  With  regard  to  extensions, 
Mr.  Brassey  held  that  the  interests  of  the  \ 
public  would  be  perfectly  secured  under 
the  French  system ;  because  it  Avas  quite 
possible,  as  has  been  actually  proved  by  the 
extension  of  the  French  railway  system, 
to  secure,  on  the  part  of  the  Government, 
an  authority  which  would  enable  them  to 
compel  the  Railway  Companies  to  extend 
their  system  gradually  over  the  whole  dis- 
tricts in  which  they  had  a  monopoly  of  the 
railway  communication.    This  process,  having 


334  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 

CHAP,    been  carried  on  gfraduallv,  has  been  found  In 
XXIII.  ^  /  . 

'      '      '   France  to    be    compatible    with    the    main- 
tenance of  a   fair  average  rate  of  dividend 
to  the  original  shareholders  In  railway  enter- 
prises. 
Theauthor       I  have  glven  these  opinions  of  Mr.  Brassey 

reserves 

hisjudg-     in  full,  but    I    am  not  prepared  to   support 

ment  on  ^       ^  ^ 

the  matter,  them  ;  and,  indeed,  I  have  not  the  requisite 
knowledge  or  experience  to  pronounce  any 
decided  opinion  upon  so  difficult  a  subject. 
If  I  were  obliged  to  give  an  opinion,  I  should 
say  that  there  had,  undoubtedly,  been  a  con- 
siderable dereliction  of  duty  on  the  part  of 
our  Government  and  Parliament  as  regards 
/  the  control,  which  they  failed  to  exercise,  both 
for  the  benefit  of  the  public  and  of  the  share- 
holders, If,  indeed,  these  interests  are  distinct. 
On  the  Introduction  of  the  railway  system  Into 
Great  Britain,  I  think  that  this  control  might 
have  been  Inaugurated  without  any  serious 
or  lasting  Interference  with  the  principle  of 
free  competition. 
The  One    most   Important    statement    I    must 

the  late       adduce  here  as  regards  the  conduct  of  the 
late  Sir   Robert    Peel,  in  reference    to    this 


RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.  335 

matter.     It  is  a  statement  that  was  made  by     chap. 

;     XXIII. 

himself.      He  said  that  he    had  not    at    his         '      ' 

command  sufficient  power  (he  meant  official  leefo^n^"^^ 

power)  to  institute  a  control  over  these  under-  contlJoL 

takings.      I   believe  that  what  he  said  was 

exactly   true  ;    and  it    has  always  appeared 

to   me  to   be    one  of  the    most   memorable 

instances  of  the    hide-bound    nature  of  our 

official  system,  which  is  hampered  by  so  many 

checks  and  so  much  dread  of  small  expense, 

that    the   most   needful    undertakings    have 

to   be  passed    by,    or    touched    but   lightly, 

which    require    the    best     intellectual     force 

of  the  nation  to  be  brought   to  bear  upon 

them. 

The  amount  of  money  expended  in  Great  Sums  ex- 
pended in 
Britain  on  railways  is  nearly  500,000,000/.,  railway 

making. 

and  it  would  have  required  about  id.  per 
cent,  to  have  gained  the  official  power  requi- 
site for  efficient  control  of  those  railways  in 
the  interests  of  the  public.  I  put  aside  for 
the  moment  the  immense  injury  done  to  pri- 
vate individuals  by  the  limitless  extension  of 
railway  works  with  unnecessary  and  thought- 
less rapidity. 


33^  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 

CHAP.  The  questions  concerning  railway  manage- 
'  '  '  ment  will  gradually  force  themselves  upon 
Railway     ^-j-^g  Consideration    of  the    public ;    and    it  is 

questions  ^ 

to  be^^^^  noticeable  that  already  many  thoughtful  per- 
sidTred  ^^^^  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  .all 
railways  should  belong  to  the  State,  and  be 
under  one  central  control.  This,  however, 
is  a  very  serious  conclusion ;  for,  unless 
Government  15  stronger  than  it  appears 
likely  to  be  In  our  time,  it  will  hardly  have 
power  to  make  head  against  the  criticism  and 
the  odium  to  which  it  will  be  subjected 
immediately  upon  its  having  the  management 
of  such  a  vast  and  complicated  concern  as 
the  railway  traffic  of  this  country.  There  is 
not  any  subject  of  social  interest  which 
requires  more  thought  than  this  question  of 
absorbing  into  the  functions  of  Government 
the  whole  of  our  railway  system.  Whatever 
has  been  done  in  a  similar  direction — as,  for 
instance,  the  transmission  of  letters  by  the 
Post  Office,  and,  in  our  time,  the  taking  over 
of  the  Electric  Telegraph  systems  by  Govern- 
ment— are  comparatively  small  matters  when 
put  side  by  side  with  the  question    of  the 


RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.     '  2)?>7 

Government  undertaking:  to  manap^e  all  the    chap. 

^  ^  XXIII. 

railway  traffic  of  the  country.  " — ■ — ' 

I  am  not  unaware  that  those  persons  who 
defend  the  course  which  has  been  taken  in 
England  as  regards  the  promotion  of  railways, 
have  a  great  deal  to  say  for  themselves. 
They  contend,  and  justly,  that  if  the  whole  Promotion 

of  industry 

matter  had  not  been  thrown  open  to  compe-  through 

railway 

tition,  many  lines  which  are  now  useful,  and  competi- 
tion. 

which  have  promoted  commerce  and  deve- 
loped industry,  would  never  have  been  made. 
But  I  think  that  even  these  persons  would 
admit  that,  having  had  the  benefit  which  this 
unlimited  competition  has  produced,  it  is  now 
a  subject  open  to  good  argument,  whether  a 
consolidation  of  the  whole  system  might  not 
take  place  under  the  direct  management  of 
the  State. 

When  contemplating  the  errors  which  most 
persons  will  allow  have  been  made   in  the 
primary  promotion  of  railways,  in  the  conduct 
of  railway  Bills  through  Parliament,  and  in  Errors  in 
the  management  of  railways  after  they  were  promo'uon 
made  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  when  con-  ways. 
sidering   the  skill  that  has   been  used,   and 


33^  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 

CHAP,     the  resources  that  have  been  broup^ht  to  bear, 
XXIII.  ^  ^  ' 

' — ' — '    in  the  mere  construction  of  railways  ;  a  simile 

will    naturally   occur   to    the    mind,    of    this 

Exempli-     descHption.     You  see  a  child,  a  little  thing 

fied  by  a 

simile.  perhaps  of  six  years  old,  leading  and  guiding 
at  its  will  a  team  of  magnificent  horses.  This 
sight  forces  upon  the  mind  a  feeling  of 
satisfaction  at  the  immense  preponderance  of 
the  human  intellectual  power,  as  shown  in 
this  child,  over  the  brute  force  of  these 
powerful  creatures.  Such  has  been  the  sway 
of  capital,  often  very  ignorantly,  childishly  we 
may  say,  applied  in  ordering  the  construction 
of  railways.  Schemes  recklessly  promoted, 
or  at  any  rate  promoted  without  any  view  to 
the  general  good,  have  been  efficiently  carried 
out  by  the  docile  contractor — whom,  by  the 
way,  I  am  rather  ashamed  to  compare  for  the 
moment,  except  for  faithfulness  and  docility, 
to  the  horse.  But  it  is  now  time  to  consider 
whether  the  grown-up  man  should  not  take 
the  place  of  the  child,  and  assume  the 
guidance  of  all  that  work,  misapplied  some- 
times, but  nearly  always  well  accomplished, 


RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT   CONTROL.  339 


which  has  now  been  brought,  completed,  to    chap. 
his  hands. 

There  is  a  special  subject  connected  with 
the  establishment  of  railways  in  Europe, 
which  will  require  very  careful  consideration, 
and,  at  some  time  or  other,  very  prompt 
action.  As  we  all  know,  there  is  no  shadow- 
less good  in  any  of  man's  inventions.  Un- 
doubtedly great  advantages  have  accrued  to 
the  world  from  the  introduction  of  railways. 
These  rapid  means  of  transit  have  not  only 
promoted  commerce  and  enabled  human 
beings  to  communicate  more  freely  v/ith  one 
another.       They  have  also   caused  diseases,  Evils  of 

rapid  com* 

both  of  man  and   beast,   to   be  propagated  munica- 

tion. 

more  freely.  In  fact,  this  swift  mode  of 
communication  may  quietly  effect,  in  relation 
to  the  propagation  of  disease,  that  which  was 
tumultuously  effected  in  former  times  by  the 
movement  of  great  armies.  This  condition 
of  things  has  recently  been  made  manifest  by 
the  Spreading  of  the  Cattle  Plague.  There  The  cattle 
is  no  doubt  that  the  facile  mode  of  transit  p^^^' 
caused   by   railways,    places   us   in    constant 

Z2 


340  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 


^^^j^-  danger  of  the  introduction  of  infected 
'  Steppe  cattle,  or  of  others  which  have  taken 
the  infection  from  those  Steppe  cattle. 
How  successful  this  dreadful  disease  has 
been  in  forming  for  itself  a  home  In  Russia 
may  be  seen  from  the  .  incantations,  the 
charms,  and  the  songs  which  have  long 
existed  in  Russia  In  reference  to  cattle 
plagues,  and  which  have  lately  been  made 
known  to  English  readers  by  a  work  wherein 
special  mention  is  made  of  this  branch  of 
Russian  literature.* 

But  this  is  not  all.  It  is  justly  feared  that 
some  of  the  diseases  most  fatal  to  man  will 
find,  and  even  now  are  beginning  to  find, 
an  easy  access  from  their  haunts  in  Eastern 
countries    to    the    hitherto    more    favoured 


^  '  The  oldest  woman  among  them  is  then  yoked  co  a 
plough,  and  she  must  draw  it  three  times  round  the 
whole  of  the  village,  the  rest  of  the  party  following  after 
her,  and  singing  the  songs  set  apart  for  such  occasions. 
It  is  supposed  that  the  malignant  spirit,  whom  they 
recognise  in  the  cattle  plague,  will  be  unable  to  cross  the 
lines  thus  traced  by  the  plough,  or  to  get  at  the  cattle, 
which  during  the  ceremony,  have  been  kept  shut  up 
within  the  village. — W.  R.  S.  Ralston,  Songs  of  the  Russian 
People,  London,  1872. 


RATLWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.  34 1 

nations    of    the    North    and    West.      This     chap. 

XXIIl. 

danger  is  attracting  the  attention  of  some  of  " — ■ — ' 
the  most  thoughtful  persons,  holding  sanitary 
offices  under  some  of  the  principal  European 
Governments  ;  and  it  is  a  matter  respecting 
which  those  Governments  will  probably  be 
obliged  to  take  action. 

The  writer  may  perhaps  be  permitted 
to  observe  that  the  rise  of  such  a  question 
tends  to  illustrate  the  proposition  which  he 
has  maintained  elsewhere ;  namely,  that 
increasing  civilization  continually  produces 
more  work  for  Government.  For  instance, 
it  will  not  be  contended  that  quarantine  regu- 
lations are  matters  which  private  individuals 
can  provide  for  themselves.  I  therefore 
deem  it  to  be  unquestionably  desirable,  in  a 
work  which  has  to  deal  so  largely  with  ques- 
tions concerning  the  introduction  of  railways, 
to  point  out  any  difficulty  or  danger  which 
has  been  caused  by  that  introduction,  in  itself 
so  great  a  proof  of  human  skill,  and,  upon 
the  whole,  so  favourable  to  the  happiness  of 
mankind. 

The   remarks  in   this  chapter  relating  to 


342  RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL. 

the  past  inaction  of  Government  as  regards 
railways,  have  not  been  made  in  a  cavilHng 
spirit,  or  as  a  mere  ungracious  expression  of 
regret  that  more  foresight  was  not  manifested 
when  railways  were  beginning  to  be  made  in 
this  country.  To  have  laid  down,  in  the  first 
instance,  a  general  plan  for  the  introduction  of 
the  railway  system ;  to  have  provided  for 
its  judicious  extension  ;  to  have  contrived  less 
costly  means,  and  a  less  uncertain  tribunal,  for 
investigating  the  relative  merits  of  proposed 
railways ;  also  to  have  constituted  some 
central  authority,  endowed  with  sufficient 
power  and  sufficient  knowledge  to  pro- 
tect the  interests  of  the  public, — would 
not  have  been  objects  unworthy  of  the 
attention  of  Government,  and  would  have 
exhibited  some  of  that  foresight  which  is 
lamentably  deficient,  for  the  most  part,  in 
nearly  all  governments  even  in  those  of  the 
most  civilized  nations.  It  now  only  remains 
to  furnish  remedies  for  the  evils  in  the  system 
which  have  arisen  from  its  having  been 
entirely  abandoned  to  private  enterprise,  evils 
which    have    marred,    to   some    extent,    the 


RAILWAYS  AND   GOVERNMENT  CONTROL.  343 


advantage  arising  from  a  series  of  the  most    CHAr. 


splendid  works  of  construction,  exceeding  in 
magnitude  and  utility  all  the  public  works 
that  had  hitherto  been  made  upon  this  earth, 
whether  by  despotic  monarchs  with  their 
millions  of  slaves,  or  by  the  united  labour 
and  intelligence  of  highly  civilized  commu- 
nities. 


[     345     J 


APPENDIX   A. 


MR.   TAPP'S  NOTES  ON  MR.  BRASSEY'S  TOURS. 


During  the  last  few  years  of  Mr.  Brassey's  life  it      APP. 
was  my  duty  to  accompany  him  on  his  visits  to    . 


Austria,  made  generally  in  the  months  of  May  and   Mr. 
October,  to  inspect  the  works  of  the  various  lines  -^^^^q^ 
in  which  he  was  interested.  Mr. 

Brassey's 

We  usually  went  by  way  of  Paris  and  Strasbourg,  tours, 
and  returned  via  Venice  and  Turin,  and  so  over 
the    Mont    Cenis,   where   the   works   of  the    Fell 
Railway  v/ere  in  progress,  or  we  went  by  Mont 
Cenis,  and  returned  via  Bavaria  and  Strasbourg. 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Brassey's  partner,  M. 
Schwarz,  and  his  agent,  M.  Folsch,  met  him  by 
appointment  in  Vienna,  and  a  day  or  two  after  left 
with  him  to  go  over  the  works  of  the  Crown  Prince 
Rudolf  Railway  in  Styria.  As  the  firm,  Brassey, 
Klein  Bros,  and  Schwarz,  were  engaged  in  the 
execution  of  a  number  of  lines  running  up  the 
different   valleys  in    Styria,  some   of  which   were 


346 


APPENDIX  A. 


APP. 
A. 

Mr. 

Tapp's 

Notes  on 

Mr. 

Brassey's 

tours. 


nearly  finished,  some  just  commenced,  one  just 
opened  for  traffic,  and  others  only  contracted  for 
a  few  weeks  before,  it  was  necessary  to  go  over  the 
greater  part  of  Styria  in  the  course  of  our  journey, 
sometimes  in  carriages,  at  others  in  a  railway 
carriage,  and  for  not  a  little  of  the  distance  in  an 
open  ballast  wagon,  fitted  up  with  temporary  seats, 
and  this  conveyance  seemed  to  suit  Mr.  Brassey 
best,  as  he  could  see  all  the  line  from  one  end  to 
the  other. 

On  leaving  Styria  we  went  over  the  Predil 
Mountain,  through  which  a  long  and  diflficult 
tunnel  was  projected,  which  Mr.  Brassey  said  would 
be  as  difficult  of  execution  as  the  Mont  Cenis.  On 
going  over  the  mountain,  we  descended  to  Gortz  on 
the  shores  of  the  Adriatic ;  and  the  sudden  change, 
from  the  cold  barrenness  of  the  country  on  the 
north  side  to  the  warm  climate  of  the  south,  the 
villages  interspersed  with  orchards,  the  trees  in  full 
bloom,  was  very  striking.  Mr.  Brassey,  who  left 
London  in  very  indifferent  health,  seemed  to  feel 
the  influence  of  the  mountain  air  in  a  remarkable 
degree,  and  said  we  had  chosen  the  very  best  week 
of  the  year  for  our  visit.  At  all  the  places  where 
we  stopped  to  bait  the  horses  or  to  sleep,  a  repast 
on  a  grand  scale  had  been  prepared  by  the  agent 
o/  the  district,  under  M.  Schwarz's  directions  and 
the  resources  of  the  neighbourhood  taxed  to  the 
utmost  to  do  Mr.  Brassey  honour.  At  one  place, 
the  largest  trout  that  had  been  caught  for  many 


APPENDIX  A.  347 


years  was  served  up  for  supper,  cold.     We  stayed  a      APP. 


day  at  Trieste,  to  answer  the  letters  which  had  been 
accumulating  there  from  London  for  some  days,   Mr. 

c  Tapp's 

and    then    returned    to   Vienna   by   way    of    the  Notes  on 
Soemmering.     On  the  afternoon  of  our  arrival  we  Brassey's 
left   for    Pesth,  where    Mr.  Brassey  had    to    meet   toun-,. 
Sir  Morton  Peto  ;  and,  after  spending  a  very  few 
hours,  we  then  went  on  board  the  steamer  to  go 
down  the  Danube  as  far  as  Giurgevo.     The  river 
journey  occupied  about  three  days  and  three  nights, 
including  stoppages. 

At  Giurgevo  Isidore,  Mr.  Brassey's  courier,  hired 
a  vehicle,  half  cart  half  phaeton,  covered  with  a  long 
leather  head,  which  sheltered  passengers,  luggage, 
and  driver,  driven  by  four  ponies  abreast,  to  take 
us  to  Bucharest,  about  forty  miles  distant.  The 
greater  part  of  this  journey  was  done  at  a  gallop,  and 
I  believe  it  occupied  five  hours,  including  an  hour 
to  bait  the  ponies.  Mr.  Brassey  was  delighted  with 
the  coachman  and  the  ponies,  saying  it  equalled  the 
best  days  of  English  stage  coach  travelling,  and 
told  Isidore  to  buy  the  carriage  and  ponies  to  use 
for  the  rest  of  the  journey,  which,  however,  he  was 
unable  to  do,  as  they  had  to  return  to  Giurgevo. 

Arrived  at  Bucharest  Mr.  Brassey  found  M. 
Ofenheim  and  Mr.  Strapp  his  agent,  who  had  come 
over  from  Austria  to  meet  him,  and  they  remained 
a  week  in  the  capital  of  the  Principalities,  to  trans- 
act some  business  with  the  government  of  Prince 
Charles.    At  the  end  of  that  time  we  left  for  J  assy ; 


348 


APPENDIX  A. 


A  PP. 
A. 

Mr. 

Tapp's 

Notes  on 

Mr. 

Brassey's 

tours. 


and  as  our  party  had  by  this  time  considerably 
increased  in  number,  we  started  in  two  carriages, 
one  drawn  by  eight,  the  other  by  six  horses,  and 
drove  for  six  or  seven  consecutive  days  through 
Wallachia  and  Moldavia,  staying  at  night  at  the 
houses  of  the  landed  gentry  or  Boyards,  where  we 
invariably  met  with  a  most  hospitable  reception. 
Some  part  of  this  journey  was  done  at  the  rate  of 
twelve  and  a  half  miles  an  hour.  I  timed  the 
horses  very  carefully  and  found  we  were  exactly 
three  minutes  doing  the  distance  from  one  kilo- 
metre post  to  another. 

At  Jassy,  the  ancient  capital  of  Moldavia,  Mr. 
Edwards  had  an  office,  and  there  was  a  staff  of 
English,  so  we  felt,  as  it  were,  in  our  own  country.  A 
grand  reception  was  prepared  for  Mr.  Brassey  here, 
flags  flying,  some  very  small  cannons  firing,  and  the 
priest  of  the  village,  and  a  number  of  workmen 
with  their  families,  in  readiness  to  receive  him. 
From  this  place  to  Czernowitz  Mr.  Brassey  was 
accompanied  by  M.  Ofenheim,  his  agent,  Mr.  Strapp, 
and  others,  in  an  examination  of  other  parts 
of  the  line ;  and  after  staying  a  few  days  at 
Czernowitz,  we  left  for  Lemberg  and  Cracow.  Here 
we  had  the  use  of  M.  Ofenheim's  saloon  carriage, 
the  most  convenient  conveyance  for  railway  travel- 
ling I  ever  saw. 

It  contained  a  stove,  two  sofas,  reversible  at 
pleasure  so  as  to  become  beds ;  a  most  comfortable 
writing  desk,  with  every  appliance  for  conducting 


APPENDIX  A.  349 


correspondence,  while  commanding  a  complete  view      APR 
of  the  line,  permanent  way,  stations,  &c.  ;  a  table,   v_ — ^L^, 
a  cellar  of  wine  packed   away  in   ice  ;   an   aneroid   Mr. 

TaDD's 

barometer  to  indicate  the  changes  of  gradient  ;  a  Notes  on 
dressing-room,  furnished  with  every  convenience  for  J^^^- 

°  '  •'  ■  Brassey  s 

the  toilet,  even  to  a  shower-bath,  and  arm-chairs,  tours, 
allowing  the  occupants  of  the  carriage  to  change 
the  position  of  their  seats  ;  lastly,  a  complete  section 
of  the  whole  line  was  pasted  on  the  sides  of  the 
carriage,  showing  every  bridge,  culvert,  or  level 
crossing,  &c.  In  this  carriage  we  travelled  three  or 
four  hundred  miles  without  fatigue. 

In  these  journies  nothing  struck  me  more  than 
Mr.  Brassey's  great  economy  of  time.  He  generally 
advised  his  friends  by  telegram  of  the  day  of  his 
arrival,  so  that  some  business  was  ready  to  be 
transacted  the  next  day.  His  mind  seemed  always 
employed  ;  and  as  the  May  journey  generally  took  ' 
place  just  after  the  balance  sheet  for  the  previous 
Christmas  had  been  made  up,  I  had  to  answer 
from  memory  a  great  many  questions  connected 
with  his  various  contracts,  his  commitments,  the 
liabilities  on  each  of  them,  and  the  assets  available, 
or  otherwise.  He  had  a  remarkable  way  of  carry- 
ing all  these  figures  in  his  head,  and  always  knew 
the  probable  result  of  each  undertaking.  Nothing 
seemed  to  escape  him  in  the  country  we  passed 
through ;  the  systems  of  cultivation,  &c.  always 
seemed  to  interest  him. 

He  was  well  received  everywhere ;  and  it  often 


350 


APPENDIX  A. 


Mr. 

Tapp's 

Notes  on 

Mr. 

Brassey's 

tours. 


struck  me  that  his  name  was  a  kind  of  passport 
which  opened  all  doors. 

When  Mr.  Brassey  was  staying  at  Paris  or 
Vienna,  he  gave  frequent  dinner  parties  at  hotels 
where  he  stayed,  inviting  such  of  his  staff  as  were 
living  near,  and  on  some  occasions  the  directors  of 
the  lines  he  was  engaged  upon,  bankers  and  others 
with  whom  he  had  business  relations.  At  these 
meetings  he  was  most  genial,  and  the  hotel-keepers 
did  their  utmost  to  please  him,  and  looked  for  his 
arrival  from  London  with  much  apparent  satisfac- 
tion. 

The  journey  alluded  to  above  occupied  seven 
and  a  half  weeks,  April  17  to  June  5,  1869;  and 
that  undertaken  in  October  of  the  same  year  was 
the  last  Mr.  Brassey  made  to  the  Continent. 
Although  he  was  at  the  time  very  far  from  well, 
never  having  recovered  thoroughly  from  the  illness 
he  had  at  Venice,  the  journey  was  a  very  rapid  one, 
rarely  staying  more  than  one  day  in  a  place.  We 
must  have  travelled  over  between  five  and  six 
thousand  miles  of  country  from  the  time  we  left  till 
our  return. 


L   351    J 


APPENDIX    B. 


LETTERS, 
I. 

May  8,  185 1. 

Dear  Goodfellow, — I  wish  you  to  read  carefully 
the  enclosed  statement  relative  to  the  accident 
that  happened  to  — 


I  think  myself  it  is  quite  f^no^^"""^' 


immaterial  whether  the  piece  of  iron  was  thrown 
down  or  fell  down  by  accident,  as  affects  our  lia- 
bility. If  the  iron  caused  the  damage,  and  it  fell 
from  our  scaffolding  on  the  public  highway,  I  take 
it  we  are  liable  ;  and  I  should  recommend  the 
best  settlement  to  be  made  that  can  be  without 
reference  to  lawyers. 

Will  you,  after  reading  the  statements  I  have 
enclosed,  let  me  have  your  opinion  upon  the  matter, 
or,  what  would  be  far  better,  settle  the  affair  if  you 
can  do  it  reasonably. 


I  am,  my  dear  Sir,  yours  very  truly, 

Thomas  Brassey. 

Mr.  Goodfellow. 


352 


APPENDIX  B. 


Letter  to 
Mr.  Day. 


II. 


My  dear  Sir, — R- 


M- 


January  27,  1 85  9. 

who  you  know 


perfectly  well,  has  been  here  repeatedly  enquiring 
for  work,  and  is  very  desirous  to  get  to  you  on  the 
Severn  Valley. 

If  you  have  no  objections  to  him,  write  and  say 
that  when  you  have  more  land  an  opportunity  shall 
be  given  to  him  to  give  a  tender.  But  if  you  do 
object,  then  write  to  say  so,  for  at  present  he  is 
waiting  under  the  impression  that  he  will  be  told 
so  soon  as  any  more  land  is  obtained. 

He  knows  his  work  well,  but  by  some  means  he 
got  into  a  suit  or  reference  against  me  on  the 
Leicester  and  Hitchin,  brought  on  entirely  by 
continued  payments  on  account,  instea^^  of  monthly 
settlements,  and  the  death  of  poor  Mr.  Home. 
I  am,  my  dear  Sir,  yours,  very  truly, 

Thomas  Brassey. 

Mr.  Day. 


Letter  to 

Mr. 

Darke. 


III. 

July  27,  1864.      • 

My  dear  Sir, — The  prospect  of  the  cotton  trade 
appears  very  encouraging,  for  some  time  to  come 
at  all  events,  and  very  tempting.  But  I  have  care- 
fully reflected  upon  the  business,  and  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  if  successful  I  might  be  tempted 
to  go  on  to  a  large  extent,  and  should  in  fact 
become  a  Irrge  cotton  speculator,  which  I  have  no 


LETTERS,  353 


desire  to  become.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  I  was  to      APP. 
make  a  loss,  which  is  quite  possible,  I  should  feel  v- — l— 


annoyed  that  I  had  departed  from  my  legitimate 
business,  and  I  therefore  come  to  the  conclusion 
not  to  enter  into  the  speculation. 

Thanking  you  much  for  calling  my  attention  to 
the  subject. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir,  yours  very  truly, 

Thomas  Brassey. 

Thomas  E.  Darke,  Esq. 


IV. 

May  25,  1865. 

My  dear  Friend, —  I   returned   yesterday   after  Letter  to 
three  weeks'  absence  in  Italy  (where  I  have  been  Holme, 
to  the  inauguration  of  the  Maremma  Railway),  and 

found  your  kind  letter  enclosing  Mr. 's,  which 

I  return. 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  enclosing  a  check  for 

100/.,   which    Mr.    will    dispose    of    as    he 

pleases. 

I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  are  getting  esta- 
blished at  Soulhport,  which  from  all  that  I  have 
heard  is,  for  the  north,  extremely  mild,  and  on 
that  account  will,  I  trust,  suit  Mrs.  Holme  and 
yourself,  for  at  all  events  the  greater  part  of  the 
year.  It  must,  I  know,  cost  you  a  very  hard 
struggle  to  give  up  your  public  functions  which 
you  have  so  very  ably  and  honourably  filled  for  a 
great  number  of  years ;  but  we  have  all  our  day, 
A   A 


354  APPENDIX  B 


and  time  is  very  short.  For  myself ;  I  appear  to 
be  driven  along  with  the  tide  of  affairs  from  which 
I  find  it  difficult  to  extricate  myself,  you  will  say, 
and  very  justly,  from  want  of  moral  courage.  Such 
I  feel  it  to  be,  and  I  do  promise  henceforth  to  be 
more  firm,  which  promise  I  hope  to  perform. 

The  weather  in  Italy  was  really  magnificent,  for 
a  week  at  least,  and  here  everything  looks  very 
fresh  and  beautiful. 

With  my  very  kindest  regards  to  Mrs.  Holme 
and  your  daughters, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Thomas  Brassey. 


Samuel  Holme,  Esq. 


V. 

56  Lowndes  Square  :  June  29,  1868. 
My  dear  Murton, — I  am  sorry  I  have  delayed 
replying  to  your  favour  of  the  27th  inst.  so  long, 
but  on  Saturday  I  had  a  second  attack,  which 
prevented  my  attending  to  it,  and  your  note  was 
laid  aside,  and  only  turned  up  this  morning. 

I    do    not    know   whether  Mr.  could    find 

Mr.  anything.    Will  you  call  in  Great  George 

Street,  and  see  him  if  he  has  not  returned.   If  he  has, 
write  to  him.     I  should  be  glad  to  do  what  I  could 

for  Mr.  ,   but   I    really  do   not    see  my  way 

unless could  find  him  something  temporarily. 

Tell to  prepare  a  check  for  twenty  pounds 


LETTERS.  355 


for   my  signature ;   it  will   relieve  his  immediate      APP. 
necessities.  ^. ' 


I,  as  you  will  see,  am  suffering  a  good  deal  from 
my  attack,  in  the  free  use  of  my  hands  ;  still  I  hope 
you  will  make  out  what  I  have  written. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Thomas  Brassey. 

[The  delay  alluded  to  was  only  that  of  from  the 
27th  to  29th,  the  28th  being  Sunday;  and  Mr. 
Brassey  was  confined  to  his  room  by  a  second 
paralytic  attack.  He  notwithstanding  took  the 
trouble  to  write  the  above  with  his  own  hand,  and 
evidently  with  much  difficulty.] 


VI. 

8  Salisbury  Road,  Edinburgh  :  October  10,  1871. 

My  dear  Sir, —  I  have  much  pleasure  in  sending  Letter 
you  the  following  brief  notice  of  the  late  Mr.  Bras-   Milro^"^" 
sey,  as  he  appeared  to  me  through  the  long  period 
of  more  than  thirty  years  during  which  I  had  the 
honour  of  his  acquaintance. 

His  transcendent  ability  is  too  well  known,  and 
finds  too  notable  a  monument  in  his  great  success, 
to  require  much  illustrative  comment.  From  first 
to  last  it  was  calm  and  modest :  the  most  compli- 
cated affairs  were  conducted  with  so  much  eaj  e, 
and  were  disposed  of  so  quietly  and  yet  so  co.ii- 
pletely,  as  to  convey  the  impression  that  their  diffi- 
culty was  not  so  great  as  it  appeared.     This  ease 


35^  APPENDIX  B, 


APP-  was  due  not  only  to  the  rapidity  and  unerring 
-- — r — -^  accuracy  of  his  judgment,  but  also  to  the  posses- 
Letter  sion  of  that  characteristic  of  all  great  minds — the 
Miboy/'  faculty  of  sufficiently  inspecting  details,  and  at  the 
same  time  of  taking  a  wide  and  comprehensive 
view  of  the  whole  matter  under  consideration.  In 
negotiation  he  also  had  the  advantage  of  diplo- 
matic ability  of  a  high  order.  His  superiority  in 
this  respect  had  nothing  in  it  of  the  arts  of  the 
trickster :  it  lay  in  the  natural  influence  of  a  man 
of  consummate  talent,  shrewdness,  tact,  urbanity, 
and  straightforward  integrity.  At  a  conference 
where  conflicting  interests  were  represented,  I  have 
seen  this  power  markedly  displayed.  In  the  course 
of  the  conversation  some  one  hinted  at  an  evasion 
of  his  obligations  on  the  ground  that  a  legal  for- 
mality had  been  neglected  in  the  arrangement  of 
an  agreement.  To  have  discussed  or  disputed  the 
quibble  would  certainly  have  led  to  a  long  argu- 
ment, and  might  have  frustrated  the  object  of  the 
meeting ;  but  it  was  at  once  met  by  a  remark  from 
Mr.  Brassey  to  the  effect  that  amongst  honourable 
men  such  a  view  of  the  case  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion— the  remark  being  made  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  everyone,  the  objector  included,  feel  that 
nothing  more  need  be  said. 

His  scrupulous  and  honourable  discharge  of 
every  obligation  resting  upon  him  was  always  to 
my  mind  a  very  prominent  characteristic — one 
which  sometimes  seemed  even  to  be  carried  to  an 


LETTERS.  357 


extreme.      I   need  scarcely  say  that  the  best  of      APP. 

materials  and  the  most  skilful  workmanship  were  > 1 — 

invariably  procured  ;  and,  though  every  arrange-  J^^^^fj^. 
ment  or  contrivance  calculated  to  facilitate  or  Milroy. 
cheapen  construction  met  with  his  pleased  ap- 
proval, anything  like  bad  or  dishonest  work  was 
resolutely  discountenanced.  Instances,  again,  which 
came  within  my  own  knowledge,  might  be  given 
of  claims  which  might  have  been  made  on  railway 
companies  for  delay  on  their  part,  and  for  the  ex- 
pense which  he  had  in  consequence  incurred  ;  but, 
though  brought  under  his  notice,  these  claims  were 
never  sent  in.  To  urge  such  demands  'was  not 
his  way  of  doing  business.'  The  fall  of  the  Baren- 
tin  Viaduct  on  the  Rouen  and  Havre  Railway 
brings  out  the  same  generosity  of  feeling.  In 
1846  the  original  structure,  of  light  and  elegant 
design,  had  nearly  reached  completion,  when  one 
night  it  fell  to  the  ground  from  end  to  end,  owing 
to  some  defect,  which  he  himself  had  previously 
pointed  out  in  an  offer  to  share  with  the  Company 
the  expense  of  the  necessary  remedy.  This  catas- 
trophe involved  a  loss  of  at  least  30,000/.,  which  in 
those  days  was  not  a  small  sum  even  to  Mr.  Bras- 
sey ;  and  as  there  were  good  reasons  for  laying 
the  blame  and  the  loss  on  others,  most  men  would 
in  the  circumstances  at  least  have  disputed  their 
liability.  Not  so  Mr.  Brassey.  Without  pausing 
for  a  moment  on  such  questions,  he  at  once  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  task  of  filling  up  the  gap  in 


358 


APPENDIX  B. 


Letter 
from  Mr. 
Milroy. 


the  railway  communications  which  the  fall  of  the 
viaduct  had  caused,  ordered  the  debris  to  be  re- 
moved, and  arrangements  to  be  made  for  the 
reconstruction  of  the  work  according  to  the  new 
design  which  the  engineers  had  prepared.  The 
work  was  pressed  on  with  so  much  energy  that  the 
ruins  were  removed,  an  entirely  new  viaduct  was 
built,  and  the  trains  were  running  over  it,  within 
six  months  from  the  commencement  of  the  opera- 
tions. A  recent  French  guide-book  to  the  Western 
Railways  of  France  speaks  of  this  viaduct  having 
been  rebuilt  *  avec  une  rapidite  merveilleuse.' 

While  thus  chivalrously  exacting  in  the  discharge 
of  his  own  obligations,  he  was  not,  as  is  too  often 
the  case  with  such  a  character,  severe  in  dealing 
with  other  men.  For  instance,  early  in  his  career, 
he  had  let  the  construction  of  a  wooden  bridge 
over  a  river  to  a  sub-contractor  for  a  *  lump  sum.* 
The  latter,  on  proceeding  to  put  in  the  foundations, 
found  that  cofferdams  and  pumping  of  an  expen- 
sive nature  were  indispensable,  and  for  these  unfor- 
tunately he  had  made  no  sufficient  provision  in  his 
estimate.  Alarmed  by  the  prospect  of  losing  seri- 
ously by  the  contract,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Brassey, 
frankly  stating  his  difficulty.  Somewhat  to  his 
surprise,  and  much  to  his  relief,  Mr.  Brassey 's 
prompt  answer,  based  probably  on  a  conviction  of 
the  truth  and  honesty  of  the  appeal,  was  that  he 
would  take  upon  himself  the  expense  of  the  coffer- 
dams, &c.  and  that  the  work  might  be  continued 


LETTERS.  359 


on  that  understanding.     This  anecdote  is  quite  in      ^PP- 


keeping  with  his  usual  way  of  deaUng  with  those 
whom  he  employed.  In  letting  various  bridges  Letter 
and  cuttings  on  a  line  in  France  I  suggested  that  ^'ikoy^'^" 
the  agreements  made  with  the  different  sub-con- 
tractors should  be  embodied  in  binding  documents, 
according  to  the  forms  prescribed  by  the  French 
law.  *  Well,'  said  Mr.  Brassey,  *  if  it  is  clearly 
understood  what  is  to  be  paid  for  the  work,  I 
think  it  is  scarcely  necessary.  For  if  a  man  is 
competent  and  has  a  fair  price,  he  will  make  the 
job  pay,  and  accordingly  will  not  try  to  get  rid  of 
it ;  if  he  has  not  an  adequate  price,  the  sooner  we 
make  it  right  for  him  the  better.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  he  is  either  idle,  incompetent,  or  trouble- 
some, the  sooner  we  get  rid  of  him  the  better.' 
The  policy  thus  sketched  out  was  dictated,  not 
merely  by  natural  wisdom,  but  also,  I  believe,  by 
a  goodness  of  heart  which  rose  frequently  to  mag- 
nanimity. The  following  illustration  will  show  . 
this  A  sub-contractor,  R.  M.,  as  well  as  other 
members  of  the  same  family,  had  received  numerous 
benefits  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brassey  during  a  period 
of  many  years.  R.  M.  latterly,  however,  became 
utterly  unreasonable,  having  made  some  friends 
whose  advice  was  more  ingenious  and  grasping 
than  sound  and  becoming.  Under  their  influence, 
on  the  completion  of  several  small  contracts,  he 
repeatedly  made  extravagant  claims  for  more 
money,  on  many  pretences  for  which  there  was  no 


3^0  APPENDIX  B. 


foundation  except  in  his  own  imagination.  It  was 
of  course  refused,  and  R.  M.  was  foolish  enough  to 
Letter  resort  to  legal  proceedings.  Through  every  avenue 
^m^x^^'  °^  litigation  he  pestered  Mr.  Brassey  for  a  long 
time,  until  at  last,  after  having  been  beaten  at 
every  previous  stage,  his  absurd  claims  were  effec- 
tually set  at  rest  by  a  final  decision.  Notwith- 
standing the  trouble  and  annoyance  he  had  under- 
gone, Mr.  Brassey,  on  the  day  when  the  cause  was 
decided,  said  to  me,  *  I  am  afraid,  Milroy,  that 
after  this  litigation,  R.  M.  must  be  badly  off;  I 
wish  you  would  get  him  a  job.  I  would  be  glad 
if  you  could.' 

As  might  have  been  expected  of  such  a  man, 
Mr.  Brassey  was  gifted  with  an  eminently  cheerful 
disposition,  which  enabled  him  to  be  happy  in  any 
circumstances.  I  remember  that  he  came  down  to 
Normandy  the  day  after  he  had  dined  at  the 
Tuileries  with  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  to  visit  a 
tunnel  the  construction  of  which  was  attended  with 
some  difficulties.  In  order  to  explore  the  workings, 
.  which  were  dripping  with  water,  he  donned  a  rough 
miner's  dress  and  cap,  which  together  formed  a 
costume  the  reverse  of  imposing  and  elegant.  After 
the  exploration  of  the  tunnel,  when  everyone  was 
tired,  wet  and  hungry,  the  only  refreshment  which 
could  be  procured  was  bread  and  cheese,  which 
were  discussed  by  the  company  in  a  shed,  in 
ploughman  fashion,  with  the  help  of  their  pocket- 
knives.     No  one  laughed   more  heartily  than  Mr. 


LETTERS.  361 


Brassey  at  the  amusing  features  of  the  situation, 
especially  when  he  contrasted    his    own    costume 
and  the  fare  with   the  studied  elegance,   the  gold   Letter 
plate  and  rich  dishes,  of  the  Imperial  banquet  a  day  fi"o"^  Mr. 
or  two  before. 

Before  closing  this  letter,  I  will  only  add  that  all 
connected  with  Mr.  Brassey  could  congratulate 
themselves  on  his  urbanity  and  kindness.  Nothing 
but  a  natural  courtesy  which  had  settled  down  into 
a  habit,  and  was  aided  by  an  excellent  temper, 
could  have  withstood  the  constant  worries  of  so 
busy  a  life.  None  of  his  correspondents,  agents, 
or  friends,  ever  applied  to  him  for  instructions  or 
advice,  without  an  instant  response  on  his  part : 
whether  he  were  in  Russia,  Turkey,  or  Spain,  his 
industry  and  loyalty  were  such  that  a  reply  was  at 
once  despatched.  Altogether  he  was  a  man  for 
whom  one  could  hardly  fail  to  conceive  a  deep 
feeling  of  respect  and  esteem. 

I  beg  to  take  this  opportunity  of  recording  my 
grateful  remembrance  of  his  kindness  to  myself, 
and  remain,  my  dear  Sir,  yours  very  faithfully, 

John  Milroy. 

T.  Brassey,  Esq.,  M.P. 


VII. 

33  Great  George  Street  :  December  11,  1871. 

Letter 
My  dear  Sir,— I  fear  you  will  think  I  have  for-  from  Mr. 

gotten  my  promise  to  write  you  a  few  lines  on  the  Sawl"' 


i62  APPENDIX  B. 


APP.       subject  we  spoke  about  in  reference  to  the  career 

> ^ — '   of  the  late  Mr.  Brassey,  viz.  the  origin  of  our  large 

Letter         contractors,  and  the  relative  value  of  the  unskilled 
HawL^''     ^^^^"^  °^  different  countries. 

shaw.  With  regard  to  large  contractors,  they  were  not 

'  unknown  before  the  railway  era.  The  construc- 
tion of  inland  navigation,  and  of  docks  and  har- 
bours, had  called  them  into  existence  to  a  limited 
extent ;  and  Messrs.  Joliffe  and  Banks,  for  instance, 
were  large  men  of  that  class. 

But  with  the  commencement  of  the  railway 
system  began  an  age  of  great  works,  during  which 
undertakings  of  far  more  colossal  dimensions  were 
rapidly  projected,  and  required  to  be  as  rapidly  car- 
•  ried  into  execution.  The  extension  of  the  railway 
system  called  also  for  larger  docks  and  larger  har- 
bours, and  since  the  construction  of  the  Liverpool 
and  Manchester  Railway  the  public  works  of  all 
kinds  that  have  been  executed  in  the  United 
Kingdom  alone  far  exceed  all  that  had  been  done 
before. 

But  though  railways  originated  in  England, 
they  rapidly  extended  to  other  countries  ;  and  in 
the  first  instance  many  of  the  continental  lines 
were  intrusted  to  the  skill  of  English  engineers, 
and  were  constructed  by  English  contractors.  Thus 
within  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time — less 
than  one  generation — there  arose  a  demand  for  men 
of  constructive  skill  and  ability  such  as  had  never 
been  known  before,  and  if  the  public  works  since  then 


LETTERS.  363 


be  compared  with  the  public  works  of  all  preceding 
time,  it  will  show  that  the  latter  are  comparatively 
insignificant.  Letter 

And  Mr.  Brassey's  labours  were  not  confined  to  ^awk-  ^' 
this  country  alone,  but,  like  those  of  some  others  of  shaw. 
our  large  contractors,  extended    to    nearly  every 
quarter  of  the  globe. 

In  this,  as  in  other  cases,  the  occasion  created 
the  men,  as  great  occasions  always  will  do. 

Men  were  wanted  to  design  these  works  and  to 
execute  them,  and  engineers  and  contractors  sprang, 
as  it  were,  from  the  earth  on  whose  surface  they 
were  going  to  make  so  much  impression.  There 
was  no  time  for  preliminary  education.  The  demand 
arose,  and  men  who  felt  or  thought  themselves 
capable  to  undertake  the  duties  stepped  forward 
from  every  rank.  It  was  by  a  process  of  what 
Mr.  Darwin  has  termed  *  natural  selection  '  more 
than  in  any  other  way  that  they  were  found.  They 
felt  themselves  in  that  line  to  be  the  strongest ;  and 
how  true  were  their  instincts,  no  one  is  a  better 
illustration  than  our  lamented  friend. 

On  the  other  subject,  viz.  the  relative  value  of 
unskilled  labour  in  different  countries,  I  have  ar- 
rived at  the  conclusion  that  its  cost  is  much  the 
same  in  all.  I  have  had  personal  experience  in 
South  America,  in  Russia,  and  in  Holland,  as  well 
as  in  my  own  country ;  and  as  consulting  engineer 
to  some  of  the  Indian  and  other  foreign  railways,  I 
am  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  value  of  Hindoo 


3^4 


APPENDIX  B. 


APP. 
B. 


Letter 
from  Mr. 
Hawk- 
shaw. 


and  other  labour  ;  and  though  an  English  labourer 
will  do  a  larger  amount  of  work  than  a  Creole  or 
Hindoo,  yet  you  have  to  pay  them  proportionately 
higher  wages.  Dutch  labourers  are,  I  think,  as 
good  as  JEnglish,  or  nearly  so  ;  and  Russian  work- 
men are  docile  and  easily  taught,  and  readily  adopt 
every  method  shown  to  them  to  be  better  than  their 
own. 

With  regard  to  unskilled  labour  men  seern 
to  be  like  machines  :  the  work  given  out  bears 
some  relation  to  the  food  consumed.  A  good 
illustration  of  this  occurred  on  the  French  railways 
executed  by  Mr.  Brassey. 

When  he  commenced  the  Paris  and  Rouen 
Railway,  he  began  by  largely  employing  English 
navvies,  paying  them  much  higher  wages  than 
would  have  been  required  by  French  labourers,  but 
the  larger  amount  of  work  done  by  the  Englishmen 
compensated  him  for  the  higher  wages. 

After  a  time,  as  I  have  heard  Mr.  Brassey  say, 
the  Frenchmen,  gradually  receiving  higher  wages 
than  previously  they  were  accustomed  to  receive, 
were  enabled  to  live  better  and  to  do  more  work, 
until  ultimately  the  French  labourers  came  to  be 
chiefly  employed. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  only  to  add  a  few  words 
on  Mr.  Brassey's  personal  qualities. 

He  possessed  great  powers  of  mind,  with  an 
almost  intuitive  perception  (when  dealing  with 
large  transactions)  of  final  results.  He  had  withal 
a  most  kindly  disposition. 


LETTERS.  3^5 

Though  he  amassed  a  very  large  fortune,  it  was      APP. 
not  in  undue  proportion  to  the  vast  magnitude  of 


the  many  undertakings  he  was  engaged  upon  ;  and   Letter 
he  was  proverbially  liberal  to  his  agents,  and  those  Hawk-  ' 
in  his  employment. 

While  he  acquired  great  wealth,  he  was  ever 
wholly  free  from  ostentation,  and  never  lost  his 
original  simplicity  and  modesty  of  character  ;  and 
he  left  behind  him  a  name  untarnished  by  aught 
unworthy  of  an  honourable  man. 

I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours  truly, 

John  Hawkshaw. 

Arthur  Helps,  Esq. 


vni. 

23  Royal  Crescent,  Bath  :  March  18,  1872. 

My  dear  Mr.  WaGSTAFF, — I  must  sit  up  to  write    Letter 

from  Mr. 
you  a  line.  Holme. 

It  has  been  said  that  biographers  always  present 

the  fair  side  only  of  the  characters  they  delineate, 

and  there  is  much  truth   in  the  observation  :  but 

with  Mr.  Brassey  the  observation  is  negative  ;  for 

in  all  his  transactions  with  his  fellow  men,  it  would 

be  impossible  to  find  a  dark  shade  as  a  foil  to  the 

brightness.     During  our  forty-six  years'  friendship, 

in  which   I   saw   him    under   all    circumstances,  I 

never  discovered  the  slightest  tinge  of  error,  nor  the 

slightest  approach  to  selfishness,  meanness,  or  love 

of  applause.      I    have   never   heard   him    say   an 


366 


APPENDIX  B. 


Letter 
from  Mr. 
Holme. 


unkind  thing  of  any  human  being,  but  I  have 
known  him  make  sacrifices  to  oblige  and  benefit 
others,  which  betokened  the  most  generous 
feeUngs. 

I  never  mentioned  a  case  of  need  to  him 
without  receiving  prompt  and  Hberal  aid,  and  a 
member  of  my  family,  who  highly  appreciated  his 
generosity  and  forbearance,  used  to  say,  that  Mr. 
Brassey's  favour  might  be  obtained  by  doing  him 
an  injury,  only  that  no  one  could  be  found  who 
would  or  could  so  act  after  knowing  him. 

I  have  had  much  knowledge  of,  and  intercourse 
with,  mankind  of  all  classes  :  but  our  friend  stood 
out  so  prominently  for  simplicity  and  wisdom, 
energy  and  self-abnegation,  prudence  and  gene- 
rosity, sincerity,  largeness  of  mind  and  honour,  that 
I  always  considered  his  example  to  be  valuable, 
and  his  personal  friendship  a  blessing. 

I  have  written  this  with  much  difficulty,  and 
must  now  get  on  my  sofa. 

With  much  regard,  believe  me,  my  dear  Sir, 
Yours  very  sincerely, 
Samuel  Holme. 


W.  Wagstaff,  Esq. 


LETTERS.  3^7 


IX. 

Gloucester  Square,  Regent's  Park  :  April  4,  1864. 

My  dear  Sir, — When  you  said  to  me  on  the  day      app. 
you    made   the    arrangement    with   the   Financial   . 


Companies,  that  you  had  done  it  on  my  account, 

in  consideration  of  the  long  years  I  had  laboured  from  Mr. 

Wheel- 
to  accomplish  it,  I  did  not  know  how  to  thank  you  aright. 

or  how  to  express  my  gratitude  to  you,  for  I  was 

sure  you  expressed  the  honest  sentiments  of  your 

heart,  and   I   hope   and   trust  that   I   shall  always 

recognise    your   kindness.     Nothing  would  grieve 

me   more  than   to  find  you   inconvenienced   from 

doing  such  an  act  of  disinterestedness. 

It  must  and  will  be  satisfactory  to  a  benevolent 

mind  like  yours  to  know  that  you  are  conferring 

upon   that  vast  and   prosperous  country  such   an 

infinite  benefit,  for  to  you  will  belong  the  credit  of 

carrying  out  this  great  undertaking,  the  greatest  by 

far  that  has  ever  been  initiated  in  all  the   South 

American  Continent,  for  it  is  but  the  beginning  of 

a  line  that  will  penetrate  into   Upper  Peru,   and 

finally  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  bring  together 

nations  of  the  same  race  and  blood,  that  have  for 

centuries  been  isolated   from    each    other   by   the 

Cordilleras  of  the  Andes,  and  as  Admiral  FitzRoy 

declared  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  it 

will   form   the   shortest   and    best   route   between 

Great  Britain   and  Australasia.     Indeed,  when   I 

reflect  on  the  incalculable  benefits  it  will  confer  on 

the  world,  I  am  quite  lost  in  the  broad  spread  field 


368 


APPENDIX  B, 


Letter 

from  Mr. 
Wheel- 
wright. 


it  will  open  up  for  the  trade  and  commerce,  as  well 
as  for  the  civilization  and  well-being  of  millions  of 
people. 

Looking  at  it  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  I 
have  studied  the  matter  for  more  than  ten  years, 
and  so  far  from  having  been  able  to  discover  any 
flaw  in  it,  I  have  been  more  and  more  convinced  of 
the  soundness  of  the  scheme  and  its  legitimate 
value,  and  have  not  been  alone  in  the  estimate  of 
this  value.  Many  sound  and  judicious  men  have 
investigated  the  subject,  and  I  have  found  but  one 
opinion  as  to  its  merits.  We  go  into  the  heart  of  a 
country  abounding  in  mineral,  pastoral,  and  agri- 
cultural wealth,  possessing  a  soil  and  climate  un- 
surpassed, and  capable  of  producing  all  the  wants 
of  man.  Some  there  are  who  will  urge  the  political 
insecurity  of  the  country,  but  the  only  answer  I  can 
give  to  them  is  the  fact,  that,  in  spite  of  the 
dissensions  and  revolutions,  the  country  has  gone 
ahead  in  a  most  rapid  manner.  The  products  and 
consumption  of  the  country  have  immensely  in- 
creased and  continue  to  increase  more  and  more 
rapidly. 

The  European  element  of  population  which  is 
very  great  now  will  in  a  few  years  exceed  the 
native ;  these  are  the  best  tests,  as  regards  its 
security,  for  who  would  go  if  property  were 
insecure  .-* 

The  yearly  emigration  is  augmenting  in"  an 
extraordinary  ratio  ;  and  if  all  that  is  inviting  in 


LETTERS.  369 


that  favoured  land  were  known  the  increase  would      APP. 

be  much  greater.  •— — , — 

As  to  the  cost  of  the  road,  I  know  enough  of  ^^^^^^ 

railways   in    South  America   to   give   an   opinion  from  Mr. 

^  ,  Wheel- 

founded  upon  experience ;  and  if  we  do  our  work  wright. 

as  we  should,   that  is  with  a   close   attention   to 

economy,  you  will  find  all  the ,  calculations  will  be 

fully  and  completely  realized. 

I  have  also  given  you  an  honest  opinion  as  to 
the  great  value  of  the  land  ;  and  if  we  can  but 
manage  it  properly,  and  not  be  in  too  great  a  hurry 
to  sell,  except  a  small  part  for  the  encouragement 
of  settlers,  much  more  will  be  realized  than  we 
contemplate. 

Our  titles  are  clear  and  investigationable.     We 
have  at  least  the  halo  of  British  protection,  which  is 
the  only  true  way  of  viewing  it ;  and  renewing  my 
warmest  thanks  for  what  you  have  done, 
Believe  me, 

Truly  and  faithfully  yours, 

W.  Wheelwright. 

Thos.  Brassey,  Esq. 


^««i%'^;^SQK 


B  B 


[     370    ] 


APPENDIX    C. 


APP. 
C. 


A.D.  1841. 


TABLE 

SHOWING  THE    WAGES    PAID,    FOR   RAILWAY  AND  OTHER  CONSTRUO 
TIONS,  IN  VARIOUS   PARTS  OF   THE  GLOBE, 

England. 

Per  diem. 
s.    d.  s.    d. 

Gloucester  and  Bristol  Railway  (1843)  : 

Labourers 2    4  to     2    9 

Great  Northern  Railway  (1849): 

Labourers 2    9   ,,     3    o 

Shrewsbury  and  Hereford  Railway  (1851): 

Labourers 2    4   ,,     2    9 

Leicester  and  Hitchin  Railway  (1855): 

Labourers 2    9   ,,     3     3 

Shrewsbury  and  Crewe  Railway  (1858): 

Labourers •     2    9   ,,     3    o 

Shrewsbury  and  Hereford  Railway  (1861): 

Labourers •         .     2    9    ,,     3    o 

Tenbury  and  Bewdley  Railway  (1864): 

Labourers •     2    9    ,,     3     3 

Wellington  and  Drayton  Railway  (1866): 

Labourers 2    9   „     3     3 

Silverdale  Railway  {1868): 

Labourers 3    2   „     3    6 

France. 

Paris  and  Rouen  Railway  : 

Labourers  (English) 3     6  to    3    9 

(French) i    8   „    2    3 


TABLE  OF  VARIOUS   WAGES.  37 1 


Moldavia,  APP. 

Per  diem.  Q^ 

A  .  s.    d.         i.    d.     ^ ,! ' 

Jassy : 

Common  labourers i    3  to    i    8     ^  ^^    186^. 

Masons 3    4*' 

Carpenters 3    4 

Blacksmiths 3    4 

At  Galatz  :  A.D.  1 863. 

Common  labourers 13 

Masous 36 

Carpenters 36 

Agricultural  labourers o  10* 

L^^°"^^^^  ^     °      A.D.  1870. 

Carpenters 36 

Masons  36 

Saxony  and  Bohemia. 

Labourers 2    o  to    2    6     ^  D,  1871. 

Miners 20, ,26 

Carpenters 2    6    ,,     3    o 

Masons .         .26,,     30 

Smiths  (on  Railways) 26, ,30 

,,       (in  Ironworks) 2    o   ,,     2     3 

„       (do.,  strikers) i    3   ,,     i    5 

Syria. 
At  Alexandretta  : 

Common  labourers       ......  14 

Masons 2    7  to    3     7 

Carpenters  .        .        .        .        .        .        •  2    7  ,,     3    ^ 

At  Beyrout : 

Common  labourers 2    o  to    2    6 

Masons •..30   ,,50 

Carpenters  3    o   „     5    o 

At  Aleppo  : 

Masons 23  to    29 

,,       labourers i  10 

,,      boys 13 

Carpenters 2    2  to    2    7 


*  a^d.  in  cash  and  3^^?.  in  food. 
BB  2 


372  APPENDIX  C. 


APR  Persia. 

C.  Per  diem, 

t — '  s.  d.          5.  d. 

A.D.  1870.           Labourers    . 08 

Masons ,13  to    16 

Carpenters ,        .13,,     16 

(Government  Contracts): 

Labourers 06 

Masons o  10   „     z    o 

India. 

Delhi  and  Umritsir  Railway  : 

A.D.  1864.            Coolies O    4  to   o    6 

Austria. 
o(L       Lemberg  and  Czemowitz  Railway  : 

Labourers o    9  to     i     9 

Carpenters 30 

Masons .        .  30 

A  D    1867             Labourers 16  to    18 

Masons        .        .        •        •        .        .        .        .20,,     26 

Bricklayers 20,,     26 

Carpenters 24 

Smiths 20,,     26 

A.D.  1871.            Labourers 2    4   ..     ^    8 

Masons 2  10   ,,     3  10 

Bricklayers 2  10  ,,     3  10 

Carpenters .        .  2    6  ,,     2  10 

Smiths 2  lo  ,,     3    I 

Belgium. 

A.D.  1852.    Dutch  Rhenish  Railway  : 

Labourers I    3  to    i  n 

Carpenters 32 

Masons 34 

Italy, 

AT.    t5^«     Maremma  LJVay  : 

A.D.   I600'              T     .  ^  ,^ 

Labourers    ...•••••  oio 

A.D    1861;     Maremma  Railway: 

Labourers    ....••••  18 

Carpenters •        •  26 

Masons 26 


TABLE  OF   VARIOUS   WAGES. 


373 


Spain, 

Per  diem. 
s.  d.         s.   d. 
Bilbao  and  Miranda  Railway  : 

Labourers •        .  i     o 

Masons 14 

Bilbao  and  Miranda  Railway  : 

Labourers •        •  3    o 

Masons •        •        •  50 

Caftada. 
Grand  Trunk  Railway : 

Labourers 4    3  to     5    o 

Masons 76,,     86 

Carpenters 6    6   ,,     8    6 

South  America  {Argentine  Republic). 

On  the  Coast : 

Labourers 40  to    50 

Carpenters  .        .        .        .        ,        .        .        .  10    o  ,,  15    o 

Masons        .        .        ,        .        ,        ,        ,        .  10    o  ,,  15    o 

In  ihe  Interior: 

Labourers 20  to    30 

Australia. 

Queensland  Railway  :* 

Labourers 70  to  90 

Masons 11    o   ,,  13    o 

Bricklayers 11    o   ,,  12    o 

Carpenters 10    o   ,,  12    o 

Brickmakers 8    o   ,,  10    o 

Hungary  and  Transylvania. 
At  Arad  : 

Labourers '.  ^3 

Masons 2    9  to    3    6 

Carpenters 2    9   „     3    6 

At  Hermanstadt : 

Labourers 16 

Masons  t 3     3  to    4    6 

Carpentersf 3     3    1.     4    6 

Sinithsf 3    3    ..     4    6 


APP. 
C. 


A.D.  1858. 
A.D.  1863. 

A.D.   1852. 
A.D.   1864. 


A.D.    1836, 


*  2,000  of  the  workmen  employed  on  this  railway  had  to  be  sent  out  from 
England,  costing  5/.  per  man  for  outfit  and  12/.  per  man  to  Government  for 
passage  out. 

t  These  had  to  be  brought  from  Bohemia. 


[3751 


A  AND  B,  case,  an,  305 
Accounts,  Mr,  Brassey's  system  of, 

128 
Accuracy,  Mr.  Brassey's,  106 
Activity  of  Mr.  Brassey,  116 
Admirer's  opinion  of  Mr.   Brassey, 

158 
Advantages  of  English  over  foreign 

railway  promoters,  53 

—  derived  from  contract  system,  41 
Agent,     considering    projects,    99 ; 

trust  in,  9,  130,  230,  242; 
choice  of,  10;  list  of,  161 ;  rela- 
tion between  masters  and,  306 

Aid  from  Government  to  railways, 
189 

Alexander,  Mr.,  210 

America,  Mr,  Brassey  goes  to,  187  ; 
granaries  in,  187 

•  America, '  the,  off  Cherbourg,  288 

American,  granaries,  187  ;  skill  in 
machinery,  190 

Amount  given  away  by  Mr.  Brassey, 
156 

—  expended  on  railways,  335 
'  Anchor,'  ice,  2CX) 

Anglo- Austrian  Bank,  149 


BAL 

Anxious  and  unanxious  men,  10 

Appendices,  frequently  passed  over, 
159 

Appreciativeness  of  women,  315 

Arabic  proverb,  153 

Argentine  Railway,  244  ;  account 
of  the  country,  245  ;  railway 
between  Rosario  and  Cordova, 
246  ;  contractors  for  the  line, 
247 ;  railway  favourable  to 
emigration,  248 ;  company's 
lands,  250;  Rosario,  251 ;  Cor- 
dova, 252  ;  soil  and  products, 
253;  agricultural  progress,  253; 
sanitary  conditions,  255;  wages 
earned  by  immigrants,  255  ; 
present  political  status,  256 

Armies  of  men,  71 

Armstrong,  Sir  W.,  and  Victoria 
Docks,  218 

Australian  works,  231 — 


Ballard,   Mr.,   118;   meets  Mr. 
Brassey,   119;  is  employed  on 


376 


INDEX. 


BAL 

the  G.N.R.,  I20;  evidence  of, 
77,  122;  selects  men  for  Aus 
tralia,  238 

Bank,  Bilbao,  133  ; 

Barentin  Viaduct,  fall  of,  30,  68  ; 
cost  of,  68  ;  is  rebuilt,  69 

Barrow  Docks,  loss  on  the,  147 

Bartlett,  Mr.,  140;  superintends  the 
Victor  -  Emmanuel  Railway, 
178;  boring  machine  invented 
by,  178  ;  Mr.  Brassey  aids,  180 

Basques,  the,  and  paper  money,  132 

Beattie,  Mr.,  on  the  Crimean 
Railway,  218;  dies,  218 

Beaumont,  M.,  quotation  from,  on 
the  Mont  Cenis  Tunnel,  179 

Belgians,  the,  as  labourers,  89 ; 
taught  '  tipping,'  92  ;  their 
wages,  94 

Betts,  Mr.,  superintends  Grand 
Trunk  Railway,  186;  a  partner 
with  Sir  Morton  Peto  and 
Mr.  Brassey,  184;  organizes 
Crimean  Railway,  216 

Bidder,  Mr.,  98;  and  the  Victoria 
Docks,  218;  Delhi  Railway, 
274 

Bilbao  Bank,  and  paper  money,  133 

—  and  Miranda  Railway,  131, 
140  ;  a  Carlist  sub-contractor's 
action  on,  135  ;  the  difficulties 
in  transporting  money  for  the, 
132 

Biography  and  History,  302 

Birkenhead,  in  1818,  24  ;  Mr.  Law- 
ton's  ideas  about,  24  j  Mr. 
Harrison  goes  to,  31 

Birth  of  Mr.  Brassey,  20 

Blame,  reluctant,  12 

Bog,  quaking,  on  G.N.R.,  how 
overcome,  120 

Bogie  engines,  192 


BRA 

Boring  machine,  178 
Branborough  Road,  the,  161 
Brassey,  Mrs.,  32,  308,  328  ;  advice 
to  Mr.  Brassey  on  railway 
matters,  34 ;  marriage,  31  ; 
domestic  labours  of,  35 
Brassey,  Mr. ,  introduction  of  author 
to,  4  ;  character  of,  9  ;  trust- 
fulness, 9,  130;  powers  of  cal- 
culation of,  II;  of  organization, 
6;  liberality,  10,  156,  309; 
equanimity,  10 ;  perception, 
II;  delicacy  in  blaming,  12; 
courtesy,  13;  presence  of  mind, 
14 ;  hatred  of  contention,  15  ; 
anxiety  to  have  work  well 
done,  16,  124  ;  action  in  dis- 
putes, 16;  ruling  passion,  17, 
308;  birth,  20  ;  parentage,  20  ; 
family  antecedents,  20 ;  goes 
to  school,  22  ;  is  articled,  22  ; 
a  general  favourite,  23 ;  be- 
comes Mr.  Lawton's  partner, 
24;  Mr,  Price's  agent,  25; 
introduced  to  Mr.  George 
Stephenson,  25  ;  first  tender, 
26;  meets  Mr.  Locke,  28; 
marriage,  31  ;  moves  house, 
35  ;  absence  from  home,  36 ; 
fixes  prices  for  sub-contrac- 
tors, 47  ;  choice  of  staff,  58  ; 
as  a  master,  59;  rapidity  in 
executing  work,  69,  81  ;  power 
of  dealing  with  schemes,  97  ; 
skill  in  estimating,  98  ;  menial 
arithmetic,  98  ;  projects  laid 
before,  98  ;  confidence  in 
agents,  99 ;  would  not  enter 
Parliament,  113;  dines  with 
Napoleon  HL,  115,  cheerful- 
ness over  financial  loss,  140  ; 
credit    attached    to  name    of. 


INDEX. 


377 


BRA 

134 ;  ignorance  of  his  re-  1 
sources,  138  ;  little  love  of 
money,  141  ;  wealth,  153; 
amount  of  fortune,  158;  an 
enthusiast's  opinion  of,  158; 
meets  Cavour,  172  ;  a  skilful 
financier,  175;  goes  to  America, 
187 ;  and  on  to  Canada,  197  ; 
reason  for  so  doing,  197  ; 
love  of  engineering,  280 ;  of 
nature,  283  ;  a  busy  sight- 
seer, 283  ;  taste  for  painting, 
286  ;  and  sculpture,  285  ; 
porcelain,  287  ;  yachts,  288  ; 
Household  brigade,  290  ;  hos- 
pitality, 290  ;  oratory,  290  ; 
politics,  292  ;  reading,  293 ; 
unworldliness,  308 ;  mental 
refinement,  310 ;  interview 
with  Salamanca,  265  ;  patience, 
297  ;  reproof,  14,  298  ;  gentle- 
manlike conduct,  300  ;  goes  to 
Paris,  &c.,  320  ;  correspond- 
ence, 105,  294;  is  taken  ill, 
323  ;  failing  health,  325  ;  death, 
328  ;  on  Government  railway 
control,  332 
Brassey,  Mr.  Albert,  328 

—  Mr.  Henry  Arthur,  M.P.,  328 

—  Mrs.  Thomas,  321 

—  Mr.   Thomas,    M.P.,    examiner 

of  evidence,  7  ;  evidence  about 

his  father,  279 
Bravery,  14,  221,  314 
Bricks,  24,  82 
Bridges  in  Fen  District,  123 
Buckhorn  Weston  Tunnel,  103 
Buenos  Ayres,    the   population  of, 

250 
Buerton,  the  Brasseys  at,  21 
Buffalora  Extension  Railway,  181 
Bulkeley,  20 


CHE 

Burg03me,  Field  Marshal,  217 
Burnett,  Dr. ,  vii  ;  evidence,  295 
Business     relations     between     Mr. 

Locke  and  Mr.  Brassey,  29 
Butty -gangs,  51 


Calculation,  Mr.Brassey's  powers 

of,  98 

Canada,  Mr.   Brassey  goes  to,  197  ; 

Government  of,  lend  money  to 

the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  197 

—  Works  at  Birkenhead,  190 

Canadians,   Lower,  on  the   Grand 

Trunk  Railway,  196 
Capital,   English   and    Italian  rail- 
way,    167,     176  ;     how     Mr. 
Brassey  employed  his,  154 
'Captains  of  Industry,'  5,  215 
Carl-Ludwig  Railway,  150,  258 
Carlist,  a,  sub-contractor,  135 
Case,  Mr.  Brassey  states  his,  5 
Cast-iron  wheels,  1 90 
Caste,  271 
Cattle-plague,  339 
Cavour,    Count,    anxious   to   bring 
English  capital  into  Piedmont, 
167 ;   communicates   with  Mr. 
Giles,  168;  meets  Mr.  Brassey, 
172  ;  meets  Mr.  Giles  at  Coire, 
172;  reading  Macaulay's  His- 
tory,   174  ;    opinion    of     Mr. 
Brassey,  175 
Cenis,     Mont,     proposed     tunnels 
through,  176  ;  account  of  tunnel 
made,  179,  280 — 
Central  control  for  railways,  337 
Chaffey's,  Mr.  '  Traveller,'  206 
Character,  Mr.  Brassey's,  9 
Charleroi  and  Givet  Railway,  94 
Cheerfulness  of  Mr.  Brassey,  140 
Cherbourg,  yachts  at,  289 


378 


INDEX. 


CHI 

Chicago,  Mr.  Brassey  at,  282 
Child,  the,  and  team  of  horses,  338 
Chivasso  and  Ivrea  Railway,  181 
Choice  of  agents,  10 
Circumspice,  233 
Climate,  of. Italy,  87  ;  of  Argentine 

Republic,  255 
Coinage,  133 
Coire,  Count  Cavour  and  Mr.  Giles's 

meeting  at,  172;  dinner  at,  175 
Coleridge,  on  the  beauty  of  feminine 

nature,  316 
Colonization  and  conquest,  246 
Comfort  of  foreign  lines,  332 
Commercial  training,  227 
Commissary-general,  71 
Common  sense,  305 
Competition  in   railways,   337;    in 

America,  191 
Concessions,    cost    of,     1 70 ;   from 

Argentine  Republic,  247  ;  Mol- 
davian, 261 
Confidence  in  subordinates,  307 
Conquest  and  colonization,  246 
Consideration  of  one's  agents,  306 
Contractor,    prejudice    against    the 

word,  5  ;  drawbacks  in  the  life 

of  a,  36 
Contractors,    need   of,    a    mark   of 

civilization,  39 ;  as  employers, 

60 
Contracts,  38  ;  first,  26  ;  reason  for, 

40 ;    sub-contracting,    41,    45  ; 

advantages  of,  41;  government, 

42  ;  limits  of,  42  ;  kind  of  work 

for,  43  ;  list  of,  1 61 
Control,  332 
Conveyance  of   money    in    Spain, 

132  ;  in  Austria,  149 
Co-operative  system,  51 
Cordova,  252 
CoiTespondence,  105,  295 


DOC 

Cost,  of  Tunnel,  103  :  inspections, 
49  ;  of  labour  abroad  and  at 
home,  102  ;  of  Barentin  Via- 
duct, 68  ;  of  Turin  and 
Novara  concession,  170  ;  of 
Australian  railways,  236 ;  of 
living  in  Australia,  237;  Indian 
lines,  274 — 

Council,  of  gangers,  1 7  ;  of  Indian 
chiefs,  203 

Courage,  221  'Two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,'  14 

Couza,  Prince,  267 

Credit  of  Mr.  Brassey's  name,  134 

Crimean  Railway,  215 

Cutting,  men  at  work  in,  72 


D'AzEGLio,  M.,  176 

Danes,  224 

Danish    contracts,    221  ;    loss  on, 

145 
Darien,  Isthmus  of,  281 
Day,  Mr.,  letter  of,  352 
Death  of  Mr.  Beattie,  218  ;  of  Mr. 

Brassey,  378 
Decimal  coinage,  133 
Decisiveness,  226 
Delhi  Railway,  274 — 
Dent,  Mr.,  vii 
Details,  attention  to,  no 
Devotion  of  men,  327 
Difficulties  in  vSpain,  150;  in  1866, 

145  ;  in  railway  making,  33  ;  in 

negotiating   railways,  258;    of 

English  abroad,  61 
Disputes,  Mr.   Brassey's  action   in, 

16 
Dixons,   Messrs.,  aid  Mr.  Brassey, 

26 
Docks,  Barrow,  147  ;  Victoria,  218 


INDEX. 


379 


DRU 

Drunkenness,  222 
Dutton  Viaduct,  26 


East  London  Railway,  221 

Eastern  Bengal  Railway,  272 

Economy,  false,  215 

Education,  227 

Edwards,  Mr.,  vii 

Elliot,  Mr.,  M.P.,  323 

Embarrassments  in  1866,  43  ;  tem- 
porary, 143  ;  on  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway,  197 

Emigrants,  241 ;  railway  making 
and,  241  ;  wages  of,  255  ;  cost 
of  sending  out  to  Australia,  239 

Emigration,  234,  248 

Engineers,  difference  between  Eng- 
lish and  foreign,  84 ;  of  the 
various  railways,  161 

Errors  in  railway  promotion,  337 

Estimates,  Mr.  Locke  keeping 
within,  55 

Eugenie,  Empress,  115 

Evans,  Mr.,  vii 

Evesham  Railway,  146 

Evidence,  how  obtained  for  this 
work,  7 

—  Mr.  Ballard's,  77,  122 

—  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey's,  279 — 

—  Mr.  Giles's,  168  — 

—  Mr.  Hawkshaw's,  38,  96,  361 
--  Mr.  Henfrey's,  181,  270 

—  Mr.  Hodge's,  186— 

—  Mr.  Jones's,  84 

—  Mr.  Mackay's,  78 

—  Mr.  Murton's,  55,  66 

—  Sir  M.  Peto's,  216— 

—  Mr.  Rowan's,  185,  194,  224 — 

—  Mr.  Tapp's,  131,  345— 

—  Mr,  Wilcox's,  235 — 

—  Mr.  Woolcott's,  250 — 


GIL 

Excavators,  195 

Expenses,  smallness  of  Mr.  Brassey's 

personal,  157 
Exports  of  Argentine  Republic,  253 


Failure,   not    unknown    to    Mr. 

Brassey,  143  ;  from  over-atten- 
tion to  details,  no;  of  Barentin 

Viaduct,  68 
Faults,  279 

Fell  Railway,  281,  321,  322 
Fete  days,  loss  from,  137 
Financial  difficulties,  145  ;  on  Grand 

Trunk  Railway,  in  1866,  197; 

on  Danish  railways,  221 
Flattery,  a  diplomatist's,  269 
'Fly-tools,' 86 
Folsch,  M.,  343— 
Foreign  enterprises,  52 — 
Fortune,  acquisition  of  a  great,  not 

pleasing,  153;  amount  of  Mr. 

Brassey's,  158 
Fowler,  Mr.,  vii 
Fox,  Sir  C.,  281 
French    railways     compared     with 

English,  333  ;      and     English 

engineers,  84 
Friends  of  Mr.  Brassey,  and  author, 

7 


Gangers  taken  into  council,  17 
General  Credit   Co.  advance  cash, 

145 

Generosity,  155,  309 

Gentleman  *  of  the  old  school,'  5  ; 

living  the  life  of  a,  1 12 
Germans,  89 
Giles,    Messrs.   Brassey,   Mill  and, 

partners,  168 


38o 


INDEX. 


GIL 

Giles,  Mr.  Francis,  28 
Giles,    Mr.    Netlam,  vii,   16,  112; 
evidence  of,    168  ;   meets  Ca- 
vour  at  Coire,    172;  on   Mol- 
davian lines,  261 — 
Good  manners,  313 
Government  aid  to  railways,  189  ; 

control,  332 
Granaries,  American,  187 
Grand  Junction  Railway,  28 
Grand   Trunk  Railway,   object   of, 
183  ;    its   rolling   stock,   190 ; 
bogie  engines  adopted  for,  192 
Graving  dock,  Thames,  219 
Great  Britain,  a  fortunate  country, 

52 
'Great  Eastern,'  ship,  281 
Great  Eastern  Railway  shares,  147 
Great  Northern  Railway,  118;  num- 
ber of  men  on,  126 
Great  Western  branches,  loss  on,  146 
Ground  ice,  200 


Hancox,  Mr.,  vii 

'  Happy  are,  &c.,'  153 

Harlings,  Mr.,  Mr.  Brassey's 
schoolmaster,  22 

Harrison,  Mr.,  of  Birkenhead,  31; 
predicts  Mr.  Brassey's  success- 
ful career,  32 

Harrison,  Mr.  George,  210 

Harrison,  Mr.  Henry,  82;  evi- 
dence, 82,  221 

Harrison,  Mr.  Joseph,  275 

Hartland,  Mr. ,  and  Victoria  Docks, 
218 

Hawkshaw,  Mr.,  vii ;  quotation 
from,  38,  96 ;  letter  from,  361 


ISI 

Heap,  Mr.,  211 

Henfrey's,   Mr.,  vii ;  evidence,  45, 

177,  178,  272 
Herz,  Adolphe  de,  M.,  258 — 
Hindoos,  36 

Hinks,  the  Hon.  F.,  184 
Hodges,   Mr.,    vii;  evidence,   186, 

193 

Holme,  Mr.,  letters,  353,  365 

Holyhead  Road,  23 

Horses,  not  paying,  46 ;  child  and 

team  of,  338 
Hospitality,  Mr.  Brassey's  love  of, 

290 
Household  brigade,  290 


Ice,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  200  • 
'anchor,'  200  \  'ground,'  200 

Idleness,  112 

India  House,  231 

Indian  lines,  270 

Indians,  council  of,  203 

Inspections,  12,  iii;  cost  of  49 

Interpreters,  62 

Interview,  author's  first,  with  Mr. 
Brassey,  4 ;  betw^een  Cavour 
and  Mr.  Brassey,  172;  Cavour 
and  Mr.  Giles,  172  ;  between 
Mr.  Brassey  and  Salamanca, 
265 

Introduction  of  author  to  Mr. 
Brassey,  4 

Invention,  5,  192 

Investigation  of  schemes,  97 

Iron  Crown,  114;  Order  of  the, 
given  to  Mr,  Brassey,  151 

Ironwork,  American  skill  in,  189 

Isidore,  114,  345 


INDEX. 


381 


ITA 


Italian  railways,  167 

Italians  employed  in  early  ages,  40 


Jackson,  Sir  William,  partner 
with  Mr.  Peto,  Brassey,  177, 
184 

Jones's,  Mr.,  evidence,  84 


Labour,  saving  machinery,  187  ; 
scarcity  of,  196 ;  comparative 
value  of,  in  England  and  abroad, 
80  ;  cost  of,  102 

Labourers,  lodgings  for,  64  ;  sent  to 
Australia,  237  ;  Piedmontese, 
86 ;  Neapolitan,  87  ;  German, 
89 ;  Belgian,  89  ;  Lower 
Canadian,  196 ;  Danish,  224  ; 
Swedes,  224  ;  insufficiency  of, 
in  India,  274 

Lamb,  Charles,  231 

Language,  a  navvy's,  61 ;  number 
of  languages  spoken  on  a  rail- 
way, 63 

Lavater,  x 

Law  courts,  Mr.  Brassey's  name 
little  known  in,  16 

Lawton,  Mr.,  Mr.  Brassey  articled 
to,  22  ;  partners,  24 

Lea,  Lord  Herbert  of,  6 

Legal  expenses,  330 

Legion  of  Honour,    115 

Lemberg  and  Czemowitz  Railway, 
145,  267  ;  finished  before  time, 
148 

Letters,  Mr.  Brassey's,  105,  294 ; 
to  Mr.  Goodfellow,  351  ;  Mr. 
Darke,  352  ;  Mr.  Day,  352  ; 
Mr.  Holme,  353  ;  Mr.  Murton, 
354  ;  to  Prince  Sapieha,  262  ; 
from    Mr.    Hawkshaw,    361  ; 


MAV 

from  Mr.  Milroy,  355  ;  from 
Mr.  Holme,  365 ;  from  Mr. 
Wheelwright,  367 

Liberality,  10,  155 

'Lie  there.  Lord  Treasurer,' &c,,  li 

Liverpool  training,  228 

Locke,  Mr.,  meets  Mr.  Brassey,  28; 
high  appreciation  of,  55;  in 
vited  over  to  France,  55 

Lodgings  for  men,  64 

London  and  Southampton  Railway, 
28 ;  directors  of,  applied  to  by 
the  French,  55 

Longridge,  Mr.,  vii 

Loss  on  the  Bilbao  Railway,  136  j 
Mr.  Brassey's  cheerfulness  over, 
140  ;  on  Danish  railways,  221 

Louth,  Mr.,  viii 

Lower  Canadians,  196 

Lucca,  labourers  from,  88 

Lukmanier  Railway  proposed,  171 


Macaulay's  History,  Cavour  read- 
ing, 174 
McClean,  Mr.,  112,  260 
Machinery,  saving  labour,  187 
Mackay's,  Mr.,  evidence,  78 
Mackenzie,    Mr,,  joins   partnership 

with  Mr.  Brassey,  56 
Mackintosh,  Mr.,  26 
Maison  Carree,  the,  284 
Manners,  313 
Maps  : 

—  English  Railways,  108 

—  French  and  Italian  Railways,  52 

—  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  183 

—  Argentine  Railway,  244 
Market  Drayton  Railway,  147 
Marriage,  31 

Maus,  Chevalier,  176 
Mavrojeny,  M.,   260,  261 


^82 


INDEX. 


MEC 

Mechanics,  two  sent  out  for  the 
Canada  Works,  191  ;  as  emi- 
grants, 207 

Medail,  M.,  176 

Medical  staff,  60 

Memory,  103 

Mental  arithmetic,  103 

Mercantile  training,  228 

Merits  of  others,  315 

Mid -Level  Sewer,  219 

Mills,  Mr.,  168 

Milroy's,  Mr.,  letter,  353 

Mind,  management  of  the,  103 

Miners,  83 

Moldavian  lines,  258 

Monetary  difficulties  in  Spain,  132  ; 
Austria,  149  ;  in  1866,  143 

Money,  conveyance  of,  1 50  ;  paper, 

133 

Mont  Cenis  Tunnel,  M.  Beaumont 

on  the,  179 
Morticing  machines,  191 
Murton,    Mr.,     evidence,    55,    66  ; 

letter  to,  327 


Nantwich  Railway,  147 

Napoleon  III.,  Mr.  Brassey  dines 
with,  115;  receives  Legion  of 
Honour  from,  115 

NaWy,  the  English,  abroad,  78;  lan- 
guage, 61  ;  conduct  abroad, 
78  ;  dress,  79  ;  origin  of  name, 
76  ;  a  phrase,  91;  severity  of 
their  work,  77  ;  their  wives 
and  families,  79;  at  work  in  a 
cutting,  72;  recognition  of,  by 
Mr   Brassey,  327 

Neapolitans,  87  ;  their  system  of 
labour,  87;  wages,  88;  food,  88 

Number  of  labourers  employed  on 
sub-contracts,    50 ;     on   Great 


POE 

Northern,  126;  on  Bilbao  Rail- 
way, 134  ;  on  Victoria  Bridge, 
211  ;  of  men  sent  to  Australia, 
239 


Ofenheim,  Chevalier  d',  149,  346 
Old  school,  gentleman  of  the,  5 
Oratory,  Mr.  Brassey's  love  of,  290 
Organization,    71  ;    powers   of,   6  ; 
want  of,  on  railways,  330 


Paleocapa,  M.,  168 

Paper-money  and  the  Basques,   133 

Paris  fortifications,  51,  93 

Paris  and  Rouen  Railway,  54  ;  the 
directors  apply  to  those  of  the 
Southampton  Railway,  54 ; 
number  of  languages  spoken 
on,  63 

Parliament,  Mr.  Brassey  refuses  to 
enter,  113 

Parliamentary  expenses,  and  Turin 
and  Novara  Railway,  1 70;  com- 
mittee, 329 

Partners,  Mr.  Brassey's,  161 

Pauperism  in  Australia,  240 

Paxton,  Sir  J.,  272 

*  Peas  overgrowing  the  sticks,'  14 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  on  railways,  335 

Penkridge  Viaduct,  26,  325 

Penson,  Mr.,  23 

Peto,  Sir  Morton,  evidence,  216  ; 
partnership    with,  184 

Piedmontese,laboarers,  86;  the,  pub- 
lic and  Novara  Railway,  171 

Pigeon  English,  6 1 

Planing  machines,  191 

Plate-laying,  83 

Poetry  of  engineering,  213 


INDEX. 


383 


POL 

Policy,  foreign,  in  railway  matters, 
and  of  the  English  Government, 

85 
Politics  of  Mr.  Brassey,  292 
Polytechnic  schools,  225 
Population,   of    Rosario,    252;     of 

Cordova,  252 
Presence  of  mind,  14,  304 
Price,  Mr.,  Mr.    Brassey  agent  to, 

25 
Produce  of  Rosario,  252  ;  Cordova, 

252 
Proverb,  an  Arabic,  153 
Pardon,  Mr.,  272 


Quaking  bog,  120 

Quantities,  taking  out,  100 ;  of  the 
Victoria  Bridge,  211 

Quarries,  Stourton,  25  ;  Point  St.- 
Claire,  204 

Queensland  Railway,  146 

Quotation  from  '  Life  of  Mackin- 
tosh,' 211 

—  *  Geologic  des  Alpes,'  179 

—  Ralston,  340 

—  Sydney  Smith,  3 

—  '  Spanish  Conquest,'  244 


Railway,  Argentine  (Central),  246 

—  Australian,  231 

—  Bilbao  and  Miranda,  131,  140 

—  Carl-Ludwig,  258 

—  Charleroi  and  Givet,  65 

—  Cherbourg,  173 

—  Chivasso  and  Ivrea,  181 

—  Crimean,  215 

—  Delhi,  45,  274 

—  East  London,  221 

—  Eastern  Bengal,  272 


RAI 

Railway,  Evesham  and  Redditch,  146 

—  Grand  Trunk,  183 

—  Great  Eastern,  147 

—  Great  Northern,  118 

—  Great  Western  branches,    46 

—  Lemberg  and  Czernowiti:,     145, 

148,  258 

—  London  and  Southampton,  28 

—  Lukmanier,  171 

—  Market  Drayton,  147 

—  Paris  and  Rouen,  54 

—  Rosario,  246 

—  Rouen  and  Havre,  66 

—  Queensland,  146 

—  Salisbury  and  Yeovil,  103 

—  Sambre  and  Meuse,  65 

—  Turin  and  Novara,  167 

—  Turin  and  Susa,  176 

—  Victor-Emmanuel,  178 

—  Warsaw  and  Terespol,  146 

—  Wellington  and  Drayton,  147 

—  Wolverhampton  and  Walsall,  326 

—  General  list  of,  Contracts,  161 
Railways,  contrast  between  English 

and  American,  188  j  early  ob- 
jections to,  33  ;  respective  po- 
sition of  England  and  France 
in  regard  to  early,  53;  organiza- 
tion in  making,  71,  329  ;  sums 
expended  on,  335  ;  English 
mode  of  making,  90  ;  want  of 
consideration  in  construction  of, 
330;  and  the  South  Sea  Bubble, 
331;  neglect  of  public  conveni- 
ence on,  331  ;  Sir  Robert  Peel 
and,  335;  influence  over  money 
matters,  132;  as  a  means  of 
communication,  188,  248;  and 
Government  control,  332 ; 
original  skill  in,  not  followed 
up,  329  ;  in  contrast  with  water 
transport,  i8S 


384 


INDEX. 


RAP 

Rapidity  of  Mr.  Brassey's  execution 
of  work,  69,  81 

Readers  and,  writers  have  but  one 
object,  I 

Reading,  293 

Red  tape,  4  ;  Sydney  Smith  and,  3 

*  Red  'un,'  91 

Reikie,  Mr,,  on  Grand  Trunk,  185 

Remuneration  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
staff,  139 

Reports  of  agents,  99 

Retiring  from  business,  1 12 

Rhodes,  Mr.,  viii 

Ricketts,  Mr.,  viii ;  160 

Road-making,  75 

Robinson,  Rev.  H.,  viii 

Rolling  stock,  190 

Rosario,  population  of,  252  ;  com- 
merce of,  252  ;  and  Cordova 
Railway,  246 

Ross,  Mr.  A.,  184 

—  the   Honourable    John,    a   pro- 

moter of  the  Grand  Trunk,  184 
Rouen,  Mr.  Brassey  goes  to,  67 

—  and  Havre  Railway,  66 
Rowan,  Mr.,  185,     194;  evidence, 

224  ;  on  British  and  Foreign 
labour,  194;  on  steam  excava- 
tor, 195 

Ruling  passion,  18,  308 

Runcorn  Bridge,  147 


St. -Claire  quarries,  204 

St.    Lawrence,    ice   on   the,   200  ; 

width  of,  200 
Salamanca,  Marquis,  264 — 
Salaries,  139 
Sambre   and  Meuse   Railway    65  ; 

payment  of  wages  on,  65 
Sankey  Viaduct,  25 


STR 

Sapieha,  Prince,  261 

Schwarz,  M.,  343 — 

Scrivener,  Dr.,  254 

Season,  shortness  of,  in  Italy,  87; 
in  Canada,  208 

*  Set '  of  wagons,  77 

Shares,  265 

Shield,  The  Brassey,  118,  127 

Skill  in  choice  of  men,  10 

Small's,  Mr.,  adventures,  135 

Smith,  Mr.,  and  Mr.  Ballard,  120 

Smith,  Sydney,  3 

Sommeillier,  M.,  174;  boring  ma- 
chine, 180 

Sons  writing  biography,  2 

Spain,    Mr.   Tapp's  difficulties  in, 

Speciality,  each  to  one's  own,  50 
Speeches,   Mr,  Henfrey's,  45  ;  Mr. 

Stephenson's,  213 
Spence,  Mr.,  the  sculptor,  285 
'  Spilt  milk,  crying  over,'  82 
Spoil  banks,  92 
Staff,  choice  of,  58 
Staffholder  sent  for  help  on  Bilbao 

line,  136 
State  control  over  railways,  332 
Steam  excavator,  uses  of,  195 

—  traveller,  206 

Stephenson,  Mr.  George,  Mr.  Bras- 
sey meets,  25 

—  Mr.  Robert,  consulting  engineer 

of  Grand  Trunk,  185;  and  the 
'poetry  of  engineering,'  213 

Steppe  cattle,  340 

Stileman,  Mr,,  260 

Stone  for  Victoria  Bridge,  203 

Stores,  railway,  thrown  open  for 
Crimean  Railway,  217 

Stourton  quarries,  25 

Strapp,  Mr.,  105,  345 

Strikes,  205 


INDEX. 


385 


SUB 

Sub-contractor,  50;  Mr.  Brassey's 
dealing  with,  47  ;  fixes  prices 
for,  47;  a  Carlist,  135 

Sub-contracts,  41,  45  ;  amount  of 
some,  50  ;  sublet,  50 

*  Suspect,'  a  son's  account   of  his 

father  a  little,  2 
Swedish  labourers,  224 
Swiss,  173 
System  of  French  railway  control, 

332;  sub-contracting,  "41  ;   of 

accounts,  128  ;  of  remuneration, 

139 

Tait,  Mr.,  an  agent  on  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway,  185 

Talabot,  M.,  263 

Tapp,  Mr.,  Secretary  to  Mr.  Bras- 
sey,  129;  monetary  difficulties 
of,  in  Spain,  1 31  ;  evidence, 
131  ;  account  of  Mr.  Brassey's 
journeys,  34S 

Technical  education,  225 

Temperature,  250 

Tender,  first,  26  ;  unsuccessful,  26 

Testimonial,  127 

Thames  graving  docks,  219 

Tipping,  90 

Tools,  foreign,  80,  86 

Trades'  Unions,  79;  injurious  effects 
of,  193 ;  Mr.  Hodges  on,  193 

Trent  Valley  contract,  82 

Trust  in  agents,  9,  130, 230, 242,  305 

Timnel,  cost  of  Buckhom  Weston, 
103 

Turin  and  Novara  Railway,  167; 
cost  of  concession,  1 70 ;  a  suc- 
cessful undertaking,  171 

Turin  and  Susa  Railway,  176 

*  Two  o'clock  in  the  morning '  cour- 

age,   14 

Understating  a  case,  5 


WOO 

Viaduct,  Sankey,  25 ;  Button, 
26;  Penkridge,  26,  325;  Baren- 
tin,  30,  68 

Victor-Emmanuel  Railway,  178 

Victoria  Bridge,  199 ;  Robert 
Stephenson  reports  on,  200 ; 
construction  of,  202 ;  stone 
quarries,  204 ;  floating  dams 
used,  204 ;  strikes  and  sick- 
ness, 205;  financial  difficulties, 
205  ;  Chaffey's  traveller  used, 
206 ;  shortness  of  working 
season,  208  ;  the  iron  work, 
210;  material  used,  21 1 ;  com- 
pleted, 211 

—  Docks,  218 


Wages  in  America,  371  ;  in  Argen- 
tine Republic,  371  ;  in  Austra- 
lia, 371  ;  in  Austria,  370 ;  in 
Belgium,  65,  370  ;  in  England, 
368  ;  of  a  navvy,  368 ;  in 
France,  368;  in  Moldavia,  369; 
in  Syria,  369;  in  India, 370;  in 
Italy,  88,  370 ;  in  Persia,  370 ; 
in  Spain,  371  ;  of  Neapolitans, 
88  ;  of  emigrants,  255  ;  table 
of,  368 

Wagons  ordered  for  Great  Northern 
Railway,  46  ;  a  '  set '  of,  77 

Wagstaff,  Mr.,  viii,  147;  aids  Mr. 
Brassey,  318 — 

War,  evil  effects  of,  229 

Warsaw  Railway,  146 

Wealth,  Mr.  Brassey's,  153  ;  a  cause 
of,  157;  amount  of,  158 

Wellington  and  Drayton  Railway, 

147 

Wheelwright,  Mr.,  letter  from,  367 

Whitworth's  tonh.  192 
I    Wilcox,  Mr,,  evidence,  235 
I    Wool,  253 

C 


386 


INDEX. 


woo 

Woolcott,  Mr.,  evidence,  250 
Word,  Mr.  Brassey  as  good  as  his, 

30 
Work,  different  modes  of,  74  j    the 

outcome  of  the  whole  man,    74 
Workmen,  the  navvy,    77 ;   plate- 


WYT 

layers,  83  ;   miners,  83  ;  Nea- 
politans,   87  ;     Germans,    89  ; 
Belgians,  89 
Wren,  Sir  Christopher,  233 
Writers,  relation  to  readers,  I 
Wythes,  Mr,,  272 


123309 


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